It sure seems like it's been a long time since the MIAC was able to get two teams into the Big Dance but this afternoon - after six long years - it finally happened as both GAC with the conference AQ and Concordia with the at-large bid will now put on their dancing shoes and head into the Big Dance on Friday evening. I have to confess I was sweating it out a big coming down the stretch; particularly when the Wartburg pod was announced but was relieved and incredibly happy for Head Coach Kim Wagers, her staff and her team for being able to enjoy the moment and celebrate in it after getting unceremoniously hosed last season. And, as you can imagine, it was indeed quite the celebration and fun to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYs1CcvTJ0E
So GAC, with the AQ, heads off to the UW-Oshkosh (b'gosh) pod to face off against surprise MIAA Championship Game winner Trine which upset Hope on Saturday evening. I look at this draw that the Gusties have and their side of the entire bracket as well and I have to tell you, if the Gusties play like they did Saturday against Concordia, there's NO one on that side of their draw that will be able to beat them. I'm that confident in the Gusties' ability to make a deep run here. And maybe it's saying a lot but with the experience they have and the fact that they can say, "Been there, done that", this may be their best chance to make it to the REALLY Promised Land; aka the Final Four. They are that good. True, GAC will wear a bigger target on their back this time around but that's one of the costs that are associated with being a top-tier team that they are. I think it would be so incredibly cool if Head Coach Laurie Kelly and her staff and her team get to to what they've set out to do when practice got underway back on October 15.
Meanwhile, I had figured that the Cobbers - if they got in - would get shipped down to the Wartburg pod back in my home state of Iowa in Waverly (just 60 miles west of my hometown of Edgewood) and that's one of the few times I've ever got this thing right in all the years I've watched the Selection Show unfold. 😅 . The Cobbers will face Illinois Wesleyan out of the CCIW and the Titans have a similar 22-5 record to Concordia's 20-5 mark. Like Concordia, Illinois Wesleyan lost in their conference championship game to Carroll so, on paper anyway, this appears to be an evenly-matched game. It'll be important for the Cobbers to shake off Saturday's dismal showing down in St. Peter and rekindle that confidence they had coming down the home stretch of the regular season that had them playing their best basketball of the season that included a win over GAC in Moorhead back on 2-7. Like the Gusties' opponent (Trine), I don't know a lot about Illinois Wesleyan either save for tidbits that I've seen on both Facebook and Twitter but I'll definitely be taking closer looks at both of these teams and you can be danged sure that both Laurie Kelly and her staff at GAC and Kim Wagers and her staff at Concordia are well into the process of dissecting game film of their upcoming opponents.
And, if you're wondering about the last Regional Rankings that came out, there were no changes from a week ago. So what you saw last week is what you got today. Now, the big surprise for me was Loras out of the ARC getting hosed by the Committee. We knew that by virtue of Trine's win over Hope on Saturday night, one of those at-large bids got gobbled up by the Flying Dutch. But I'm still puzzled as to how both Ohio Wesleyan (NCAC) and Willamette (NWC) got in over the Duhawks. I could almost live with the Battling Bishops getting in but how in God's name the Bearcats; who got popped by eventual NWC Championship Game-winner Puget Sound by twenty - on their home floor in a conference quarterfinal game no less - got in over Loras. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay up late enough last night to watch the preview show on D3Hoops.com (I have to get up EARLY in the AM for work unfortunately) to get in on the explanation but you can bet there's a lot of disappointed people in Dubuque this evening and I can't say as I blame them.
For now though, let's celebrate this moment for both GAC and Concordia and MIAC Women's Basketball. Raise your glasses in a toast! Go Gusties and Roll Cobbs!!!! I'll have more on these upcoming games for them before Friday's contests so stay tuned!
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