MIAC Predictions For The 2026-27 Season

To me, the smart money goes on the Gusties for the 2026-27 season

 Can you believe it?  Here we are on the brink of a brand new season where every team wants to wipe the slate clean and start anew.  It really seems difficult to entertain the idea that what we saw last year with four teams in the MIAC making their way into the Big Dance can be replicated again but this conference appears as tough as ever and it wouldn't shock me one bit if that happens again.  With all that said, it's time for me to break out that old, cracked, cobweb-infested crystal ball of mine and lay out my fearless predictions for the 2026-27 season.

Title Contenders

1.  GAC

2.  Concordia

A young Gustie team took a major step forward last season as they not only finished strong down the home stretch of the regular season that helped them earn a berth into the Big Dance but perhaps just as important, they carved their very own identity for themselves as well and didn't merely ride the coattails of their predecessors from a few years ago.  The good news for GAC is that the bulk of that roster is back for this season with much more experience to boot.  When it comes to scoring, Head Coach Laurie Kelly easily has one of the best scorers in Region 9 in senior guard Ella Peters who can arguably feel reasonably comfortable at either the 2 or 3 position depending on the situation.  Helping to anchor the front line will be senior forward Whitley Ronn who can both score and rebound and do all the under-appreciated necessary work down low.  Slender senior forward Kendyl Queensland seems to be the forgotten element sometimes in this starting rotation but she's steady and reliable and you'd better not underestimate her ability.  And the Gusties have arguably one of the most talented backcourt groups anywhere around.  Junior point guard Anna Goodman who has some very serious swag, now has a lot of experience under her belt and can not only orchestrate the offense as a floor general but has the uncanny ability to use her speed and quickness to zip around defenders or dart into the lane for a score or slay an opponent from downtown.  And when it comes to slaying opponents from downtown, she's got an awfully good partner in crime in that particular department with senior guard Kaitlyn Schaefer and several opponents had to learn the hard way last season not to leave her all by her lonesome behind the arc.  And Kelly has a number of options on her bench to insert for relief or when she needs to change things up.  Senior guard Peyton Stevermer was a solid option on the scoring front for GAC last season with her 7.5 ppg average and junior combo guard/forward Olivia Grothaus is very versatile on both ends of the floor.  Junior forward Bella DeHaan comes in quite handy for Kelly when she needs a strong presence down low.  I would also expect to see players such as senior guard Ava Westerman and sophomore guards Zoe Verhasselt, Chloe Scholl and Addy Kath to see more time this season as well.  But the youngster who really caught my eye this last summer was 6'0" freshman guard Alexis Swanson who has a ton of potential.  Again, I just think with all the weapons that Kelly has and now that this group has got some real experience under its belt, you have to give them the nod at the end of the day.

What an amazing season it was for Concordia last season with their magic carpet ride to the Elite 8 - a season that will not be forgotten anytime soon.  And, unlike GAC, Head Coach Kim Wagers has the unenviable task of trying to replace a great group of seniors - Taylor Safranski, Molly Musland, Taya Jeffrey and Leah Lenz.  However, one should not feel too sorry for the Cobbers as Wagers has a plethora of talent at her disposal this time around as well.  While I don't think Wagers has made any clear-cut decisions on her starting rotation just yet, you can probably be certain that senior forward Genevieve Gruba and senior guard Alexa Snesrud will figure prominently.  Along with death and taxes, the other certainty is that All-American and reigning MIAC Offensive and Defensive POY junior forward Maya Metcalf  will be back and better than ever.  Speedy sophomore Kaitlyn Rohloff appears poised to inherit the point guard spot vacated by Safranski and lanky 6'0" junior forward Kaia Gack who was an invaluable piece coming off the bench last season presumably slides into the starting lineup this season to help anchor the front line.  Where things get interesting is how and where Wagers will turn to for help off the bench as she's got experienced returners and new faces in the mix here.  To help out in the backcourt, junior guards Peyton Breidenbach and Tatum Findley along with sophomore guard Karleigh Rohloff are all experienced and capable and when Wagers needs length and rebounding, 6'2" senior post Maci Wheeldon is the go-to gal on that front.  But there's some news faces on this roster and at the moment, its unclear as to how big of a role they'll play.  Junior guard Paige Breuer who transferred in from Roanoke College and who hails from Bismarck, ND could be one of those newbies who comes out of nowhere and starts doing big things early on.  Freshman guard Macy Anderson out of Chaska spent last year at NDSU before transferring to Concordia and fellow freshmen guards Zoe Keene and Brynn Larson, well, we'll just have to see.  All in all, I think the Cobbers have enough talent to not only be a very good team but also probably the one team that's best-positioned to challenge GAC for conference honors.  It's always tough for a team when the bar and standard have been raised after the accomplishments of last season and it might be a lot to ask the Cobbers to replicate everything they did last season.  Still, there's more than enough there to maintain a high standard and the challenging schedule gives them more than enough opportunities to have a solid NPI ranking.

Solid MIAC Playoff Contenders

3.  SMU

4.  Bethel

What a wild, weird roller coaster ride it was for the Cardinals at times last season with all the highs and lows that Head Coach Courtney Shelton's team had to endure with a small bench and injuries to key players and some untimely losses in games that had them hanging on for dear life at times - especially when SMU found itself down by twenty at the end of the third period to Hamline in one of the MIAC Quarterfinal Playoff Games.  But in the darkest moment of that contest, the Cardinals dug down deep and responded when they had to and reeled off an incredible 27-0 fourth period shutout to advance and, more importantly, kept their season alive and got them over the hump and into the Big Dance.  Hopefully SMU won't have to dodge quite as many landmines this time around as Shelton has most of her starters back from a year ago.  While the graduated Lindsey Lettner is a tough replacement,  junior guard Brianna Nusbaum is easily one of the best backcourt players in the MIAC and her ability to run the offense along with her decision-making and scoring ability is simply breathtaking at times.  The best guess here is that speedy sophomore guard Hadley Sammons who had several minutes off the bench last season may very well slide into a starting role as Nusbaum's backcourt mate.  On the front line, the Olson sister duo out of New York Mills - senior Kali and sophomore Ayla - are both back and ready and things would be almost perfect for Shelton and her staff if the last part of the planned trifecta, 6'1" junior forward Rylie Sternquist, was ready to go as well.  Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Sternquist went down with an ACL injury during the Midtown YWCA Women's College Summer League and will be relegated to watching and cheering from the bench which is just a huge bummer in general.  The guess here is that Shelton will likely turn to junior combo guard/forward Jaiden Thompson and unproven 6'2" freshman post Avery LaNore to offer stability to that front line.  Shelton will also now have help from another sister duo - twin sophomore guards Lucia deLeon and Franny deLeon so don't be surprised if you see some new faces coming off the bench this time around.  Even without having Sternquist on the floor this season, I see no reason why SMU can't contend for the title chase.  At the same time, what I fear coming down the stretch is that their margin for error could again be quite small and they not only have to take advantage of the early part of the schedule which is certainly manageable (for the most part) but they also have to avoid injuries to other key players that could kill their chances of making a return trip to the Dance. 

It's a new era over in Arden Hills as Bethel Head Coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer has the unenviable task of trying to replace a group of six fine seniors - Colette Duininck, Elly Schmitz, Ali Born, Rosalie Penke, Jaelin Boyd and Lexi Schermann - that helped the Royals to another MIAC Championship Game victory and a nice run to the Sweet 16 last season.  The first thing that sticks out when I glance at the Bethel roster is how young they are this time around:  twelve freshmen and four sophomores.  So Herbrechtsmeyer arguably has a number of players that are going to be a bit green around the gills this time around.  But that's not to say that the Royals don't have experience coming back - they most certainly do.  Senior forward Emily Erickson who played such a huge role coming down the home stretch will be the go-to person down low and she'll get plenty of help from fellow senior forward Cally Peterson.  The Bethel backcourt looks pretty solid too with senior guard Macey Littlefield and junior Kenzie Lundeen presumably inheriting the point guard spot vacated by Duininck.  I also anticipate that junior guard Alaina Bonacquista who did a lot of good things off the bench last season to transition into a starting role this season.  The big question in my mind is how Herbrechtsmeyer and his staff develop the necessary depth with such a youthful bench.  That will indeed be interesting to see and considering the early part of the schedule features four opponents from the WIAC (UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse and UW-River Falls) plus a trip to Florida right before Christmas where the Royals will take on national runner-up Scranton out of the Landmark Conference and DePauw which won the NCAC Championship Game and made the Dance as well is nothing less than, well, brutal.  We've seen the Royals enter the meat of the MIAC schedule dinged up with some "Ls" only to turn it on down the stretch before and maybe this group can do that again but it's going to be one hard row to hoe.  Still, I don't want to be too dismissive of this team and it wouldn't be right to close the door on them in November.

Fighting For The Fifth And Sixth Spots

5.  CSB

6.  St. Kate's

This last season was a disappointment up in Bennie-land as CSB entered the meat of the MIAC season in good shape only to hit a rough patch between mid-January and early February that eventually had them on the outside of the tent looking in once the MIAC Playoffs rolled around.  And a great trio of departing seniors from last year's team - Megan Driste, Megan Morgan and Kira Young - gives this year's CSB team a much, much different look this time around.  Indeed, this is a roster that is dominated by freshmen and sophomores and, unlike most years, this Bennies team is much more guard-oriented than before.  But that's not to say that Head Coach Mike Durbin doesn't have some experienced weaponry in his arsenal - he sure does.  Junior point guard Lauren Arnold is back with much more savvy and experience as is fellow junior guard Alyssa Sadlovsky out on the wing area.  Another talented junior guard; Drew Buslee out of Eagan, adds some length to a very solid backcourt.  Lanky 6'0" sophomore post Emma Theisen can not only score but can swat away opponents shots like a pesky fly that needs to be dealt with.  Senior combo guard/forward Ella Beeler; another 6'0" in Durbin's arsenal, could be another big factor down low as well.  I think the real surprise on this CSB team, however, just might be freshman guard Liz Vitt out of Edina who really caught my eye when I visited one of the early CSB practices this last month.  She's got a ton of potential.  I think it's fair to say that this team in general has a ton of potential and IF things go right for this team, they could find themselves higher than this and the early part of the schedule is more than manageable for the Bennies.  They've just got to find a way to avoid that January swoon that they've had to endure the last couple of seasons.

It's an exciting new era over on the west side of St Paul as former Wildcat great Audra Clark has now taken the reigns of the St. Kate's program and has injected youthful enthusiasm and a new way of doing things.  The Wildcats weren't hit too hard on the graduation front and have a ton of returning talent.  Leading the way for the 'Cats will be senior guard Hattie Fox who has quietly evolved into one of the best guards in the conference who can not only score but knows how to get her teammates involved on the offensive end and is certainly no slouch on the defensive side either.  Junior guard Jordyn Peed came of age last year for St. Kate's and had some huge outings - especially in the upset win at home versus eventual NCAA Tournament participant SMU and is poised for another breakout season this time around.  Senior forward Lily Peper is versatile as a scorer and a rebounder and 5'11' junior forward Elle Covey is a solid rebounder and isn't afraid to mix it up with bigger posts down low.  One element that the Wildcats haven't had over the last couple of seasons is some real depth and Clark may have that now as junior combo guard/forward Liz Kyles, fellow junior combo guard/forward Kate Flicek (who got valuable minutes last season) and junior guard Raya Cassidy who could crack the starting lineup for starters.  There's also some youngsters now on board that could wind up contributing as well this season that bring length to the table such as freshman forward Ella Schmiesing, freshman forward Sophia Kruger, freshman forward Kate Sand along with sophomore forward Beatrice Clayton who also got minutes last season.  Look for a somewhat different approach by the Wildcats on defense this year as well as I'm sure that Clark and her staff hope to put some of that length to work.  The early part of the schedule is an interesting mix to say the least but if the 'Cats can hit the ground running come the first of the year without getting dinged up too bad, they could be poised to do some serious damage.

Teams I'm On The Fence About

7.  St. Olaf

8.  St. Scholastica

9.  Carleton 

10.  Hamline  

There's still some teams that I feel have a legitimate shot at being in the MIAC Playoffs this season or at least able to make significant strides and St. Olaf is definitely one of those teams.  In fact, of these four teams I have in this category, St. Olaf is the one team that just may come out and shock everybody and it's entirely possible I'm not giving them enough love here in my rankings and maybe the only reason I'm not is because I think we may just simply need to see more of this team and get a better feel for who they are.  Head Coach Megan Lueck is now in her third season at the helm of this Ole program and just glancing at her roster makes it obvious she has an exciting group to work with that's full of potential.  The backcourt will likely be a very quick duo of senior guard Joy Brandenstein and junior guard Grace Gertner.  Lueck and her staff have some serious length in the frontcourt with 6'0" junior forward Elise Hahn, senior combo guard/forward Bree Wilkerson along with sophomore forward Erin Schauer.  The guess here is that senior forward Maren Miller could also figure heavily into the overall equation as well.  Lueck also appears to have a number of contributors coming off the bench this season with junior guard Glory Johanson, sophomore guard Norah Bickett and fellow sophomore forward Emmanuella Sennowo along with some new faces in freshman guard Nora Jensen, freshman guard Sami Sarner, freshman combo guard/forward Sophia Sinclair and freshman forward Addy Ruffridge.  Again, I think we have to take the cautious approach with this team and not expect too much too soon but Lueck and her staff may very well be putting something very special together down on the west side of Northfield.  

Up along the frigid shores of Gitche Gumee, the St. Scholastica Saints took a major step forward last season as they qualified for the MIAC Playoffs and finished with a 16-10 record.  But the off season saw some upheavals with this program as Jason Schmitz resigned from his head coaching position there to accept an assistant position at (now) DI and former MIAC member UST.  The first coach hired after Schmitz' departure lasted roughly two months before the Saints finally came to terms with Kyle Yost who was an assistant on Aaron Kahl's staff at UMAC member Northwestern.  And while St. Scholastica wasn't hit as hard as some other teams on the graduation front, three major losses still hurt this team: Junior Kloey Lind, sophomore Ava Riegel and junior Gabby Voigt didn't return for this season. However, the cupboard certainly isn't bare up in Duluth as Yost and his staff still have a solid nucleus to work with.  Junior Evie Schmitz who's also got some serious swag will likely anchor the backcourt at the point guard spot and junior guard Ava Haus at 5'9" is the perfect complimentary player in that backcourt with Schmitz and has no fear whatsoever of mixing it up down low when she has to.  Plus I would think that senior guard Savannah Schlueter who transferred in from Northwestern College (IA) will also provide some welcome help with backcourt duties as well.  Junior post Kate Toewe will likely be the go-to gal down for the Saints.  Where things may get a little tricky for Yost and his staff is when it comes to filling some of the unexpected vacant slots and he'll have a number of young faces to evaluate - among them Lily Schoenecker out of New Prague, Marlee Lane out of Somerset, WI, Ashlynn Spong from St. Croix Prep, Alivia Engler from Elgin (Plainview-Elgin-Millville), Carly Olson and Lauren Jackson from Farmington and RaeAnn Goehring out of Chisago Lakes.  So in many ways, even with the returners from last year, this is a new-look team having to get used to a new system.  Because of that, I think the path for them will be tougher this time around but at the same time, I'm hesitant to totally dismiss this team's chances.  But the Saints do have a very challenging early season schedule that leaves them with very little room for error once they dive into the meat of the MIAC season. 

Over on the east side of Northfield, to say that Carleton is an interesting proposition would be something of a massive understatement.  Coming off a somewhat disappointing 2025-26 campaign, Head Coach Tammy Metcalf-Filzen is hoping to return this program to its former glory days but to do it she's going to have to bring a ton of youngsters up through the ranks quickly as this Knights squad is dominated by freshmen and sophomores.  Until this team starts playing a few games, we probably won't have much of a feel for a true starting rotation although one would have to think that senior forward Liz Hiatt along with fellow senior guards Jasmine Maldonado and Opal Burruss will likely be a part of whatever starting rotation Metcalf-Filzen finally settles on.  There's just so much we don't know about this young Carleton team yet and it may be a little while before we really know what we're getting from them.  Still, we've seen Metcalf-Filzen work her magic before and if things fall into place for the Knights, they could be a very dangerous team for opponents.  

By the end of this last regular season, I genuinely believed that Hamline was the hottest team going into the MIAC Playoffs on that four-game win streak they were riding and the fact that they were facing an SMU team that was arguably banged up both mentally and physically in that first round, I really thought the Pipers had a genuine path to do the unthinkable.  But what actually turned out to be unthinkable was how Hamline was up on SMU by twenty at the end of the third period of their Quarterfinal Playoff game only to get shut out 27-0 in the final ten minutes in arguably the most bizarre exit in MIAC Playoff history.  Indeed, it was a helluva painful way for a fine senior group of Marina LaFreniere, Sophie Stork, Camille Cummings, Aliyah Robran, Josie Wiebusch, Evelyn Wiltrout and Isabella Jensen to have to go out.  And it doesn't help the Pipers cause that junior forward Lauren Cooper transferred to UW-Superior during the off season.  So Head Coach Josh Hersch and his staff have a lot of tinkering to do when it comes to assembling a starting rotation although one could easily surmise that senior guard/forward Anna Rynkiewich, junior guard Josie Schmidt and fellow junior guard Emma Lamppa will all likely be a part of it.  I would also suspect that sophomore forward Alida Simonson could factor heavily for this squad as well.  Beyond that, there's just so many unproven youngsters who will all be fighting for playing time and we may see Hersch adjust his starting lineup from time to time.  There's just so many unpredictable things when it comes to this Hamline team that we'll likely just have to see how things shake out.  Because of that, I don't want to get them up too high but I don't want to completely close the door on them either.

Bringing Up The Rear

11.  Augsburg

12.  Macalester

Last season was a tough go-around for Head Coach Mallie Doucette and her Auggie team as they finished 5-20 overall but in her third season at the helm of the Augsburg program, Doucette may be slowly piecing together a very competitive group.  Despite losing both Wakinyela Bear and Melanie Delestrez to graduation, Doucette has two seniors ready and more than capable of being great leaders for this team in sharp-shooting guard Sydney Hazuga and fellow backcourt mate Saylor Gallagher who's one of the most humble persons you'll ever meet but probably the last player you'll ever want to try and guard on the basketball court.  Where it gets a little tricky for Doucette and her staff is going over the younger members of this squad in trying to figure out a starting rotation.  And, to be sure, there is an abundance of youth on this team.  Junior guard Evelyn Perkins is likely going to be a candidate to bring both speed and experience to the starting rotation and junior forward Jada Stanford brings athleticism and length in the frontcourt.  Fellow junior forward LaiLoni Harris could easily be a matchup problem down low for many opponents.  But the real attention-getter when I visited an early-season Auggie practice was freshman guard Katy Devine from Two Rivers HS who at 5'9" is not only incredibly athletic but brings length which only adds to her versatility.  So Doucette has some real pieces to work with.  The challenge will be developing the depth on the bench which is never an easy task.  Augsburg has a very-challenging early season schedule so while the expectations aren't great, the hope is that the tough early schedule will make this team better once they get into the meat of the MIAC season.  

AD Donovan is now in her second season at Macalester and although the Scots arguably struggled in some games during the 2025-26 campaign that saw them go 3-21, it certainly wasn't because of a lack of effort.  In fact, if one takes a closer look at last season's schedule, there were arguably a few games that they lost but probably should have won.  I think that has to be the next step forward for this program and Donovan and her staff do have a nice collection of players.  The starting rotation has to start with two experienced seniors in the backcourt - Sydnee Smith and Mary Daley.  Smith; at 5'9" is really more of a combo guard/forward with her incredible athleticism and when she gets on a scoring streak, she can be an absolute nightmare for opponents.  Daley meanwhile is one of the smartest and savviest guards in the conference and she can not only score but is very solid on the defensive side of the ball, too.  Three other youngsters will likely play big roles on this team and will probably be part of the starting rotation at times - junior guard Emma Karlin along with fellow junior combo guard/forward Cady Davis plus sophomore guard Megan Matthews.  Senior guard Kendall Bernbaum is an invaluable piece coming off the bench for Donovan with her experience and when size and length become a necessity, Donovan will likely lean toward 6'0" junior combo guard/forward Samantha Smith.  As it is with many coaches in this conference, the challenge will be developing a number of freshmen players to add depth and stability and we all know that that simply doesn't happen overnight.  I think this Macalester team is ready to take some steps forward this season but given what's in front of them, there'll inevitably be a ceiling with this group.  

So there you have it.  I'm looking forward to another exciting season and am anxious to get out and start watching teams again.  Hope to see you all out there this season.   

St. Kate's Practice 10-29-25

The Wildcats hard at it in practice.  

 Had to battle a ton of traffic on not only I-94 but also on the God-forsaken streets of St Paul but eventually made my way over to Butler Center on the campus of St. Catherine University to take in an early season practice at St. Kate's.  I arrived early enough that gave me a chance to catch up with new Wildcats Head Coach (and former Wildcat great herself) Audra Clark and Assistant Coach Ben Fleming who were going over a few items to cover in this day's practice.  By the time I got up to the arena, the team had already been putting up shots and getting loosened up for this day's session.  I also got to catch up with Assistant Coach (and former Wildcat great) Alexis Garcia as well.

The first drill that Clark has on tap for her team on this Thursday evening is called "Iowa State" and with me being a U of Iowa grad, my curiosity was naturally piqued.  Here, you have two lines of players on one side and two more at each end.  The player at the baseline starts off and one player from the side comes off and both go down in a simulated fast-break situation for a lay-up.  The player on the side has  to then go around a cone and then goes back the other way in a simulated fast break situation for a lay-up.

The next drill Clark has her squad go through is "Point Guard Finishes".  Here, the team is split into two different groups.  On one end of the floor, Clark and Garcia work with the guards as they go through a variety of lay-ups and other difficult finishes while Fleming works with the forwards on the other end as they do some 1-on-1 work.

After a well-deserved water break, Clark then conducts the team's next drill called the "Kobe Drill".  Here, you have lines of players at the corner of both baselines.  A dribbler and a defender at the corners of one end go down the floor in a 1-on-1 situation.  The defender makes one trip down against a dribbler and then goes up against a different dribbler on the way back.  

Next, the emphasis shifts to the rebounding aspect.  This starts out as a 1-on-1 situation as Garcia puts up an errant shot and the two players have to battle each other for the rebound.  This gradually gets modified to 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4.  At the end, a group of players have to run sprints for not being able to snare enough rebounds and Coach Fleming runs with them.  

Next is some 4-on-4 half-court work.  Here, the defenders start  in a circle and then go out to guard the four offensive players after Fleming passes the ball to one of the offensive players out on the perimeter.  The emphasis here is to work on some different zone defense techniques.  A round of sprints is again in the offing for the team and Fleming once again runs with them.  

The next drill is called "Full Court 3-man Shooting".  Here, you have small groups of players at each basket.  A player has to run down to one end of the floor to receive a pass and take a mid-range jumper and then runs down to the other end and gets a pass from a plyer on that end to take another mid-range jumper.  This is taking place on the side courts at the same time.  It challenges each player on the endurance aspect and being able to hit jumpers when you're going up and down the floor in a game situation.  Sprints once again are in the offing for the team after this drill is completed.  

Next, Clark has the team in two groups on each end of the floor as each group does some 5-on-0 "shell" work to work on proper movement, spacing and setting correct screens.  Another welll-deserved water break ensues and then Clark has the team work on breaking full-court press situations.

Clark then has the team do some more 5-on-0 "shell" work as she wants to experiment with some different half-court offensive sets and after that it transitions into 5-on-5 half-court work to put into practice some of the things they've been working on over the last few minutes.  The groups switch offensive and defensive roles so everybody gets exposed to different situations.  Fleming works with the defensive group with Clark and Garcia work with the offensive group.  

To close things out on this night, the team meets at center court for one last pep talk of the evening before players go off on their own to do some more free throw work.

Outtakes........While St. Kate's doesn't have what you'd call a large roster, it does have a very interesting mix of both veterans and youngsters and they mesh quite well together.  The chemistry on this team is very, very good and a lot of that is due in part to a very good coaching staff and also to veteran leadership from senior guard Hattie Fox and fellow senior forward Lily Peper.  Clark mentioned to me that she's very close to naming her starting rotation and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Fox, Peper and junior guard Jordyn Peed will most likely be a part of whatever starting five Clark finally decides on.  The one player who could crack into that eventual starting rotation is junior guard Raya Cassidy who has definitely elevated her game from last season.  She really put in the work over the summer and she's not only a spark plug on the defensive side of the ball but now has to be looked at as a legitimate scoring threat as well.  Clark is hopeful that she'll be able to go 8-9 deep and having three or four players coming off the bench in relief will be absolutely huge for this team and their chances.  Of course, staying healthy will be paramount for this Wildcats team but it's not difficult to envision them being in the mix for the MIAC Playoffs.  The early part of the schedule for St. Kate's is somewhat unorthodox as the 'Cats will not waste any time and grab their sunblock lotion and sunglasses and head for Florida in a little less than a week from now as they'll take on two NAIA opponents - New College of Florida in Bradenton on Friday 11-6 and then Webber International University in Babson Park on Saturday 11-7.  Upon returning home, St. Kate's will then make the short hop over to Lee & Penny Anderson Arena to take on former MIAC opponent and now DI UST in an exhibition affair on Tuesday 11-10.  UM-Morris out of the UMAC will pay a visit to Butler Center on Saturday 11-14 and then on Thursday 11-19, the 'Cats will host fellow MIAC opponent Augsburg in an odd non-conference setting.  On Saturday 11-21, St. Kate's will venture north to the frigid shores of Gitche Gumee to take on UMAC favorite UW-Superior and right before the Thanksgiving break the Wildcats will host another UMAC opponent, Bethany Lutheran on Tuesday 11-24.  Then St. Kate's gets into MIAC play as they run over to Bethel on Wednesday 12-2 before making another jaunt up north to aforementioned Great Lake to take on St. Scholastica on Saturday 12-5 before hosting Macalester on Wednesday 12-9.  Finals and the Christmas break come into play but the Wildcats will host a big one in Butler Center on Wednesday 12-30 as UW-River Falls out of the WIAC pays a visit.  Then the meat of the MIAC schedule says hello after the first of the year.  As I see it, there's a path there for the Wildcats to come into January with some momentum on their side.  

Augsburg Practice 10-28-26

The Auggies hard at it in practice.

 Made a relatively quick run over to Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg University on this unusually sunny and warm late October afternoon to take in one of the early season practices of the Augsburg team.  I arrived early but by the time I got into the gym, the team was already in the process of putting some early shots up and getting ready for the day's practice session.  I was able to catch up with Head Coach Mallie Doucette and her assistants, Geno Bullard and Mikayla Kanenwisher who was also getting up some shots herself with one of the players and obviously still has a lot of game and hasn't lost a step.

After the team meets with Doucette at center court for a bit of a pep talk and a review of the things she wants to go over, the team then embarks on the first drill of the day called "Waterfall".  This is a very challenging drill as the team has to make 20 lay-ups, 20 midrange shots and 20 3-point shots.  The caveat on the lay-up part is if there any more than two misses, the team has to start over again.  The key here - FINISH!  

Next, Kanenwisher directs the team in some ball-handling and dribbling skills that are very challenging and utilize the full court.  Players start out at each end of the baseline and then when they get to the mid-court area, they then have to navigate cones while doing crossover dribbles which is very challenging indeed.  Upon reaching the other end, the player has to finish with a lay-up where Kanenwisher and Bullard await as mock defenders to make the finish a bit more challenging.   

Next, Bullard conducts a shooting drill where players have to first complete lay-ups as Geno acts as a defender down low with a pad.  This later gets modified to making a jumper from the elbow area and then a 3-point shot from the wing areas.  Bullard then starts out the process again but this time from the left side so players are getting a variety of shots from all angles.

Next, Bullard then conducts a very interesting drill where you have players in eight different positions on the court with three players at each side.  A player from each end of the floor start out and they pass the ball to the player near the corner and after they get it passed back to them, they then pass to the player near the mid-court area and after getting it passed back to them they then dribble further down and pass it to the player near the corner and once they get it passed back to them, each player then has to complete a lay-up and then do the same process on the other side of the floor going back down the other way.  Each player has to do three sets of this.  Upon finishing, the players take their position along the court so two more players can go.  The emphasis appears to be two-fold - first, to keep things going rhythmically and second to build up endurance and cardio and just watching this drill unfold reveals those who are in top cardio shape and those who still have room to grow in that area. 

After a very well-deserved water break, Doucette has the team do some free throw shooting and then after a bit, Bullard then has the team do some half-court 2-on-2 work which later gets modified to 3-on-3 full-court work where the team works on some of the finer points on offense such as setting proper screens and getting proper spacing.  Kanenwisher also participates in this and guarding someone of her caliber or going up against her when she's a defender is very challenging for the players.  P.S. - She's still got "it".  

Doucette than has the team do a couple rounds of sprints before conducting some spot shooting with players having to make a requisite number of 3-point shots from the corners, wing areas and the top.

To close out the practice on this day, Doucette has the team do some more free throw work but makes it a bit more challenging this time around because if a free throw is missed, the team then has to run a round of sprints.  In this case, the team does a pretty decent job with few sprints being run.  Afterward, Doucette has the team gather up for one final pep talk before calling it a day.

Outtakes........The first thing one likely notices upon viewing the roster is that numbers-wise it's on the small side with only ten players.  Because of that, Doucette mentioned to me that she and her staff have to be fairly creative with what they do in practice each day.  The Auggies have already had one scrimmage with Northwestern last week and although she hasn't publicly revealed who her starting five will be, you can bet that senior guards Sydney Hazuga and Saylor Gallagher will be a part of that starting five and Doucette also hinted that she's leaning toward getting junior guard Evelyn Perkins into that starting group as well.  Doucette does have some youngsters on this team and the one who didn't take long to wow me was lanky freshman guard Katy Devine out of Two Rivers HS.  She's quite a "steal" if there ever was one and she'll make an impact early on and it wouldn't shock me one bit if Doucette ultimately decides to insert her into the starting rotation.  I'd be amiss if I didn't talk about the two seniors on this team.  Gallagher is the kind of player every coach would love to have on their team.  Great leadership skills, smart player and to me seems to be the "glue" that holds this team together.  The fact that she helped pace the Auggies last year with her 9.0 ppg average speaks volumes as to how valuable she really is.  Gallagher was held out of some drills on this day as she's on the tail-end of recovering from a twisted ankle suffered a while back but she should be a full "go" once the season starts about a week from now.  Hazuga who was a standout her first two seasons at Anoka-Ramsey proved to be a very valuable asset as well for Doucette and her staff as she averaged 9.2 ppg last season as a junior and is always a threat behind the arc.  If the Auggies are going to take a step forward this season, it has to start on the defensive side of the ball as Augsburg finished at the bottom of the conference in overall defense giving up an average of 72.6 points per game.  Rebounding is another area that will need to be addressed as well as the Auggies were next to last in conference rebounding margin.  Make no mistake about it - Augsburg will get tested early as they start things out this next week Tuesday 11-3 with an exhibition game over at Concordia St Paul and then host UW-Stout on Saturday 11-7.  The following weekend finds the Auggies playing in the UW-Whitewater Champions Classic Tournament where they'll face two opponents out of the CCIW - Millikin on Friday 11-13 and then powerful Illinois Wesleyan the next day on Saturday 11-14.  A trip to Crown out of the UMAC is slated for Tuesday 11-17 before Augsburg runs over to St. Kate's in a non-conference game setting on Thursday 11-19.  Another opponent out of the UMAC - Martin Luther - pays a visit to Si Melby Hall on Monday 11-23 and then the Auggies get into MIAC play as roadies to GAC and CSB sandwich a home game against Carleton in early December.  One more big non-conference game before the Christmas break remains as UW-River Falls will come calling on Si Melby Hall on Saturday 12-19 before Augsburg delves back into conference play right after the first of the year.  

UW-River Falls Practice 10-26-26

 Made the run over to River Falls, WI on this rainy, dreary Monday afternoon to take in an early season practice at UW-River Falls.  I was smart enough to leave my place early to give myself time with the rain and traffic and arrived at the Falcon Center building shortly after 3:30 that allowed me to catch up with Head Coach Shelby Lyman and her staff and get myself situated for the 4:00 PM practice session.

Things get going as the squad starts doing some light running and stretching to get loosened up for this practice session.  After a short pep talk at midcourt to go over things on this day, Lyman then has the team split into small groups of five that allows the players to get into their shooting groove practicing a variety of jump shots.

Next, Lyman has the squad split into two groups and here each group works on 5-on-0 "shell" drills to focus on proper movement as well as correct spacing and setting proper screens in half-court sets.  Then follows an interesting drill called "5 trips 3 trips" which is something of an extension of what the team was doing previously as this is a full-court 5-on-0 situation with three different groups.  Each group of five players has to get at least one three-point shot to go down in the trips they take up and down the floor.

Another interesting drill follows which Lyman terms "Circle Rebounding".  This is a 5-on-5 full court drill but it starts out with the assigned defensive squad going in a circle across the lane to await an errant jump shot put up by Lyman to get things going.  Upon snaring the defensive rebound, the team then goes downcourt in a full 5-on-5 situation and then, regardless of whether they can capitalize on their offensive end, it then comes back the other way with the other group of five on offense.  The group that comes up with the fewest points at the end has to run a round of sprints.  

After a well-deserved water break, Lyman then has the team work on all-important free throw shooting for a bit before she splits the team into two different groups where each group does some 3-on-3 half-court work as defense is now the focus.  A bit later, Lyman then conducts another drill called "Drive Middle Rotation" which consists of 5-on-5 half-court work where the emphasis is making sure that defensive players switch and rotate correctly.

Then Lyman has the team do some full-court 5-on-5 work to put some of the things they've worked on previously into a game-like situation in hopes of getting a better "feel" for where some of her players are at the moment.  After that, another interesting drill takes place that consists of five players in a half-court situation that initially looks like a 5-on-0 "shell" drill.  But as this drill progresses, assistant coaches Cassie Heinrichs and Emily Kulstad are at the baseline with balls and after a lay-up is made, Heinrichs and Kulstad feed balls to the wing players for three-point shot attempts which in a way is getting two or three aspects into one drill.

On the next drill, Lyman goes back to the defensive aspect as she has her squad work in some zone defensive sets to ensure proper rotation on the defense.  Then, to finish up on this evening's practice, Lyman then has the team split into two groups to do "Kentucky Shooting".  After a short pep talk at center court, the team calls it an evening.

Outtakes........While this team would obviously love to replicate last season's accomplishment of getting to the NCAA Tournament, Lyman and her staff obviously want to take a much different path this time around and avoid all the injuries to key players that they suffered during the 2025-26 campaign.  Even though Lyman hasn't as of yet settled on her starting rotation, it's my guess that senior guard Savannah Leopold, junior guard Taylor Clarey and lanky sophomore forward Emily Anderson will likely be a part of whatever starting five lineup Lyman eventually goes with.  Unlike last year's team, this team is much longer and much of that length comes from the youngsters on the squad; one of which caught my attention - freshman combo guard/forward Chloe Theissen out of White Bear Lake.  Sophomore guard Madisyn Berggren also looks impressive as well.  The early part of the Falcons schedule seems manageable enough although there will be some challenging games in the early stretch - most notably against GAC out of the MIAC which will pay a visit to the Falcon Center on Saturday 11-7 (unfortunately the same day when my UCLA Bruins will be in Dinkytown playing Minnesota and trying to keep their perfect record intact).  The following weekend, UW-River Falls will travel out to D.C. for the Catholic University Classic where the Falcons will first take on Gettysburg; an NCAA Tournament participant last season out of the Centennial Conference on Saturday 11-14 and then take on Penn St - Altoona out of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference on Sunday 11-15.  The following weekend, the Falcons host Edgewood out of the NACC on Saturday 11-21 and then two days before Thanksgiving UW-River Falls will make a run over to the St Paul side of town to take on their second MIAC opponent, Hamline on Tuesday 11-24.  On Thanksgiving weekend, the Falcons will host Carthage out of the CCIW on Saturday 11-28 and will then host Central out of the ARC the following weekend on Saturday 12-5.  Two big tests then await the Falcons - first, a trip out to Waverly, IA to take on perennial powerhouse Wartburg out of the ARC on Wednesday 12-9 before coming back home to take on Bethel out of the MIAC on Saturday 12-12.  Return trips to the Twin Cities sandwich the Christmas/New Year's holiday for UW-River Falls as they will take on two more MIAC opponents - Augsburg on Saturday 12-19 and then St. Kate's on Wednesday 12-30 before delving into WIAC play so the Falcons will get a chance to pad that all important SOS right from the get-go.  The big question is whether they can do it without accumulating all the red crosses that they incurred last season.  

Northwestern Practice 10-22-26

 Made the trip on a busy I-694 over to Snelling Avenue and then the short jaunt over to the campus of the University of Northwestern to take in this early season practice that Head Coach Aaron Kahl and his staff were conducting on this day.  I arrived early enough to catch up on things with Kahl and ask about his team and also get in on a pre-practice film session of the team's scrimmage against Augsburg from the previous night.  Kahl was pointing out some things to his squad that they need to improve on the defensive side of the ball.  After the film session concludes, the team heads to the Ericksen Center court for this day's practice session. 

To start things off, the team does some "social shooting" as they are split into six different groups to find their shooting groove for this evening's practice and get loosened up as well.  Then, Kahl has the team do a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to emphasize correct movement, spacing and setting correct screens.

Kahl then has the team perform some more warm-up running and stretching before moving onto the next drill which is called "Piper Shooting".  Here, the team is split into two groups at each basket with two lines of players at the top and one line at each corner.  The players at the top pass the ball to their respective corners and the corner players take three-point shots while the two players who passed the ball to the corner players go to the corner to await their turn and vice versa.  After about five minutes or so, Kahl then modifies the drill where the shooters are now at the top.  

Next, Kahl has the team split into four different groups.  One group works on 1-on-1 situations while another group works on 2-on-2 post traps.  The third group works on 2-on-2 out of bounds situations while the fourth group works on 2-on-2 wing close outs.  These groups switch to different stations every five minutes or so.  

After a well-deserved hydration break, the next drill is entitled "PCR".  Here, the team is split into three groups where they do 5-on-0 "shell" work for proper movement and spacing in half-court offensive sets.  Kahl later modifies this where both groups do 5-on-5 half-court work to put some of these principles into action.

After another well-deserved water break, the team dives into the next drill called "Tips and trips".  Here, you have one offensive player from near the half-court line and another offensive player down low and one defender trying to disrupt.  Kahl modifies this to a 3-on-2 situation and eventually to a 4-on-3 situation.

Next, the team is split into three different groups to work on some offensive skill sets.  One group works on backdoor passes while the second group works on 2-on-2 ball screens.  The third group meanwhile works on what is called "veer get action".  After five minutes or so, the players switch stations until the players have done all three stations.

After another well-deserved hydration break, the team then partakes in what is called "Around the Nest" free throw shooting.  Here, the team is split into six small groups to work on their free throw shooting which is always so critical in tight game situations.

The last drill of the evening is an interesting drill called "Popcorn Shooting".  Here, the team is split into two groups and players on each group get fed balls and have to work on  variety of jump shots.  After some time, the team comes into a circle at the talk for one last pep talk and prayer before calling it an evening.

Outtakes........Kahl had to depart practice early on this night but I was able to talk to him upon my arrival.  While this team is still very young and dominated by freshmen and sophomores, he's at least got a roster that has valuable college basketball experience unlike his team from last year so he's hopeful that his squad can be much more of a factor in the UMAC playoff chase this time around.  They scrimmage against CSB on Tuesday evening 10-27 and like the Bennies, this is a very guard-oriented team with a lot of quickness.  While I don't think Kahl has settled in on who will all be a part of the starting rotation, I would have to guess that sophomore guard Ella Frazier along with junior guard Brenna Vogel and senior combo guard/forward Katelyn Lindberg will figure prominently for the Eagles.  Again, the challenge for Kahl and his staff will be developing depth and staying relatively healthy throughout the season.  The early part of the schedule - for the most part anyway - looks manageable as they first take on two MIAC opponents - Macalester on Saturday 11-7 before running down to Northfield on Wednesday 11-11 to take on what appears to be a vastly-improved St. Olaf team.  Luther; now out of the MWC, pays a visit to Ericksen Center on Saturday 11-14 before the Eagles make a run down Snelling Avenue to take on another MIAC neighbor in Hamline on Wednesday 11-18.  On Saturday 11-21, Northwestern will host Emmaus University; an NCCAA opponent out of Dubuque, IA and three days after that on 11-24, Carleton from the MIAC will pay a visit to Ericksen Center as well.  On Wednesday 12-2, the Eagles will host Martin Luther in their first UMAC game before another NCCAA opponent - Maranatha Baptist - comes to Ericksen Center on Saturday 12-5.  So there's an opportunity for Northwestern to get off to a decent start and be able to hit the ground running before they delve into the meat of the UMAC regular season.       

CSB Practice 10-21-26

CSB team getting at it in practice this week!  

 Made a good trip up US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline to the St. Cloud area and over to nearby St. Joe on this beautiful Indian Summer afternoon to take in an early season practice at CSB.  I arrived early enough to catch up with Head Coach Mike Durbin and his staff as the squad started doing various light running and stretching exercises on the Recreation basketball floor while the volleyball team was finishing up its practice on the main floor in Claire Lynch Hall.

Once the team was able to get onto the main floor, Durbin first has the team split into six small groups.  The smaller groups of two people had one shooter practicing jump shots from the free throw line area with one rebounder while the groups with four players had two shooters - one who would take jumpers from the free throw line area and another shooter practicing shots from different wing positions with a rebounder for each.  After five minutes, the roles would be reversed so all players would get a chance to get some mid-range jumpers in.  

For the next drill, Durbin has the team in 5 lines in different spots on the floor at one basket - one line at the top, a line at each wing spot and a line at both corners.  The emphasis on this drill is to have crisp, sharp passing between the different spots in a half-court offensive set and its little wonder why Durbin's CSB teams over the years are some of the best passing teams that you'll see.  

For the next drill, Durbin has the squad in two lines at the top.  Each player at the top of the line has a ball and the two players drive into the lane, crossing each other in the process and complete a lay-up.  After a bit, this drill is modified where the two lines are split wider to the wing positions and then modified once more as the groups have to start out from the corner spots and have to drive along the baseline.  It's not as easy at it initially appears.  

Next, Durbin has the team split into four groups where two players initially work on a variety of jump shots with two rebounders to keep things moving and players rotate roles every five minutes.  This drill then gets modified where a ball handler has a defender on her along with two offensive players near each elbow area who act strictly as passers or catchers for the ball handler which makes for a difficult assignment for the lone defender in each situation.

Next, Durbin has the team split into two different groups.  One group at one basket works on one-on-one situations while the other group at the other basket works on three-point shots and shots in the lane.  After some time, these groups switch.

After a well-deserved water break, Durbin again has the team split into two different groups at each basket but this time around, the drill is set up where you have two groups of one defender up against two offensive player and the defender in each case has to come up against the offensive player to contest the pass.  After a bit, Durbin modifies things to two defenders taking on three offensive players where the two defenders have to contest the passes and also defend against the score in the paint.  After some time, this drill is modified once more by Durbin where it becomes four defenders going up against five offensive players in a half-court situation.

After another well-deserved water break, Assistant Coach Rick Canton conducts a 5-on-0 "shell" drill to have players working on cutting and setting proper screens.  After a bit, this gets changed up to a 5-on-5 half-court situation to put some of these concepts learned into practice against defenders in a pressure situation.  This gets modified a bit more as you have three groups of five players with one group on the opposite end of the floor.  If a shot is missed by the offensive team on the other end and the defensive team rebounds, that defensive team then has to take the ball the other way and get ready to go up against the five players on the other end.  

After another well-deserved water break and a chance for the team to work on free throw shooting for a bit, Durbin conducts a very interesting drill that starts out as five offensive players initially going up against three defenders in a full court situation.  But after the ball is inbounded and the five offensive players have made their way up the court, two more defenders from the baseline come in and have to rush up the court to join the three other defenders in a half-court situation.  Regardless of what happens on this end, they return the other way going 5-on-5.  

The next drill which is conducted by Assistant Coach Steve Howe-Veenstra is essentially a 5-on-5 full-court situation but with a twist - the five defenders have to start going in a small circle that allows the five offensive players to get up court in an up-tempo situation before the defenders can release and race down the floor to match up.  It's very interesting to watch.  

Lastly on this night, Durbin has the team do some 5-on-5 half-court work with different groups to work on some different plays and some different situations.  To close out the evening practice, Durbin has the team in a circle for a departing pep talk before the team calls it a night.

Outtakes.......Unlike many of the other teams Durbin has had during his long tenure at CSB that seemed to have an abundance of players with length, this particular team definitely appears to be much more guard-oriented.  Not to say that he doesn't have length - he does - but this team is much more guard-oriented than in years past.  Towards that end, Durbin mentioned after the practice session was over that he's in the process of changing his offense and his offensive mindset to fit this team and, from what I could tell, it seems to be working even if it's only mid/late-October.  The other thing that stands out when you look at the roster is how young this team is as the squad is dominated by freshmen and sophomores.  And there are most definitely some exciting new faces on this Bennie team that hold a lot of promise but the one that stood out to me the most was freshman Liz Vitt out of Edina.  While she may arguably have room to grow on the defensive side of the ball, don't be surprised if she indeed works her way into the starting rotation and with some experience and time in the weight room, she'll pose some real matchup problems for MIAC opponents.  The core of this group that will make up the remaining portion of the starting rotation looks to be junior point guard Lauren Arnold, fellow junior wing guard Alyssa Sadlovsky, fellow junior wing Drew Buslee and lanky sophomore post Emma Theisen and that's a pretty solid starting five, IMHO.  If one takes a look at MIAC stats for 2025-26, you'll see that the Bennies were in the top four in team offense and they were tops in the conference in team free throw percentage which is absolutely where you want to be.  Beyond that, it isn't so rosy as CSB was tenth in the conference in combined team rebounds and in next to last place in defensive rebounds.  And while we know the Bennies can score, they were ninth in the conference in team FG percentage and tenth in opponents FG percentage.  Team three-point shooting percentage was also a concern last season where CSB finished in ninth place in that category and the Bennies were in the middle of the pack when it came to assist/turnover ratio.  So obviously there's some things that will have to be cleaned up and worked on - especially on the defensive end - if CSB hopes to be a primary factor in the MIAC Playoff race this time around.  Given the youth trend on this team, Durbin told me that "We'll be tested early on" and a look at the early part of the schedule explains a good amount of that concern as the Bennies will start things off with their own Tip-Off Tournament Classic going up against UM-Morris out of the UMAC on Friday 11-6 and then Loras out of the ARC the next day on Saturday 11-7.  The following weekend brings another exciting outing in Claire Lynch Hall with the Iowa vs Minnesota Clash where CSB will take on two teams out of the ARC - Central on Friday 11-13 and then Simpson on Saturday 11-14 which should be fun.  On Thanksgiving weekend, CSB takes a trip to Mankato to face one of the favorites in the UMAC in Bethany Lutheran on Saturday 11-28 and then getting three conference games after that:  At Hamline on Wednesday 12-2, at home vs St. Olaf on Saturday 12-5 and at home vs Augsburg on Wednesday 12-9.  Just before the holidays, the Bennies will pack their sunglasses and sunblock lotion and head to Naples, FL where they'll face Wooster out of the NCAC on Saturday 12-19 and then Penn College out of the UEC on Sunday 12-20 before getting back into conference play for good right after the first of the year.     

A New Season Is Now Upon Us!

 Well, today is October 15th and that means the dawn of a brand new season that is now upon us!  So, over the next few weeks I'll be hoping to have reports on some different teams and their practices and how they're looking.  I always looks forward to this time of the year.

As you can imagine, I'm currently riding the high of my UCLA Bruins right now (and also trying to soothe the pain my LA Rams are giving me at the moment as well) and I hope everyone is doing well and hope to see you all again soon.

Let's get this new season underway!