A big day here in the Twin Cities today as the hometown Minnesota Vikings host an NFC Wildcard Playoff match-up with the New York Giants over at US Bank Stadium later on this afternoon. And while this life-long, die-hard Los Angeles Rams fan thinks it'd be cool to see the Purple follow in our footsteps from last season, we still have to try and untangle the mess that best describes MIAC Women's Basketball right now. So while there are some definite shifts from a week ago, chaos and uncertainty still seems to rule.
1. GAC
2. Concordia
3. Bethel
4. (tie) Hamline & CSB
5. St. Kate's
6. (tie) Augsburg & St. Olaf
7. Carleton
8. Macalester
9. SMU
10. St. Scholastica
Little question as to who's at the top as the Gusties clearly rule the roost at the moment. Two big road victories this last week - including yesterday's utter demolition of St. Kate's at Butler Center - have solidified GAC's hold on the top spot. While not a slam-dunk proposition, this week's slate of three games which includes home games vs Hamline and St. Olaf on Monday and Wednesday nights, respectively followed by a date at Carleton next Saturday certainly looks doable..... To me, the team that had the most to prove this last week was Concordia and they did exactly that as the Cobbers recorded two big road wins - at CSB this last Wednesday night and at Hamline yesterday. I'm not saying that the Cobbers have cured all the problems that have ailed them from earlier this season but they showed me enough this last week alone that warrants them sliding up to the number two spot. Like the Gusties, the Cobbers do have a potentially tricky - but doable week as they come back down to the Twin Cities on Monday night to face Macalester before hosting a slumping Augsburg team on Wednesday night and then making the long trip down the BNSF's Staples Sub and CPKC River Sub mainlines to Winona to face SMU next Saturday.
It's been a trying week for the Bethel Royals in more ways than one. First and foremost, my best wishes and prayers for Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer as he was forced to step away from his head coaching duties due to health-related problems and will hopefully return next season fully-recovered and healthy again. Whether or not that was a rallying cry for the Royals this last week is unknown but they responded anyway this last week with three big victories - defeating St. Kate's at Butler Center, holding off an upset-minded SMU team in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night at home in Robertson Center and then going up to St. Joe yesterday and getting yet another tough win at CSB. This Bethel team is tough both mentally and physically and although the Royals step away from Robertson Center this next week with road games at both St. Scholastica and Macalester, the best guess here is that they'll at least keep the beat going.
The one team I felt had to make a statement this last week to not only keep pace in the MIAC standings but stay in the conversation for MIAC honors was Hamline. And while the Pipers did take care of business as expected at Macalester, they wound up getting thumped in the comfy confines of venerable Hutton Arena yesterday by Concordia that, in my mind anyway, has this team trending downward at the moment. Couple in the fact that this week's three-game slate features roadies at league-leading GAC on Monday night, at always-tricky Carleton on Wednesday night and at a vastly-improved St. Olaf team next Saturday night only reinforces that notion....... Another team that really disappointed this last week was (surprise?) CSB. The Bennies got dumped at home in Claire Lynch twice this last week where I felt they absolutely needed to hold serve - against Concordia this last Wednesday night and then the debacle with Bethel yesterday. And it's going to be a tricky week this week as road games at Carleton and at Augsburg sandwich a home game vs St. Kate's.
Speaking of St. Kate's, it goes without saying that this last week's three-game homestand was going to be crucial for them and their chances in the big picture but I would be feeling infinitely better about them had they managed to go 2-1 out of it instead of 1-2 (and they easily could have gone 0-3). I can remember how upset I was after my LA Rams got obliterated 37-7 at home in the Coliseum by Dallas in the 1975 NFC Championship Game (and how God-awfully sick I was two days after that damn game) and if there could ever be a football equivalent of what happened to the Wildcats yesterday against GAC, that would probably be it. It was crashing back to earth in frightening fashion for the 'Cats yesterday and they've got to quickly put that in the rearview mirror and focus ahead as a roadie up to CSB awaits on Wednesday night before next Saturday's home game with St. Scholastica. The big question for St. Kate's right now is when can Sam Orth come back from that ankle injury suffered yesterday?
When things go good for Augsburg, they can be very good. And when things go bad as they did this last week, well, it isn't pretty as a tough road loss over at St. Kate's on Wednesday night followed by yesterday's shocking beatdown by St. Olaf at home in Si Melby Hall has the Auggies reeling right now. And this week might be the most taxing of all for Augsburg with two long roadies in store - at SMU Monday night, at Concordia on Wednesday night followed by a home contest with CSB next Saturday all await......St. Olaf hasn't shown the consistency of a true playoff contender just yet but, at the same time, they're probably the last team you want to see on your schedule as yesterday's big win at Augsburg would suggest. This next week's three-game slate is a huge opportunity for the Oles. At home against St. Scholastica on Monday night, at GAC on Wednesday night and then back home at Skoglund Center on Saturday vs Hamline. While a victory over GAC is likely a bridge too far for this group right now, snaring two home wins this week is not an outlandish proposition.
Well, that's my take on things for this Sunday anyway. Feel free to fire away with thoughts.
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