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| Evie Schmitz and her three-point bombs helped St. Scholastica slay Bethel on Saturday and throw the MIAC Women's Basketball scene into utter chaos. |
Here we are on NFL Divisional Playoff and a huge game later on today for my Los Angeles Rams against Chicago - GO RAMS GO!!! Meanwhile, in the MIAC Women's Basketball world, if you thought things were a mess the last two weekends, that was a tiptoe through the tulips compared to the utter chaos we have right now. I have gone through this from different angles and perspectives over the last 18 hours or so and finally came up with how I should try and shake things out for today (I think). So here we go:
1. Concordia
2. (tie) Hamline, CSB & St. Scholastica
3. (tie) SMU, Bethel
4. GAC
5. St. Kate's
6. (tie) Augsburg & Carleton
7. St. Olaf
8. Macalester
Concordia has the top spot all to themselves on this Sunday as they got through this last week unscathed but they had to survive a lulu of a game this last Wednesday night at home against GAC where the Cobbers rallied from a 15-point deficit to get the narrow victory before the romp over Augsburg yesterday. This coming week, however, Concordia has to take its show on the road with consecutive trips down US Highway 10 and the BNSF Staples Sub mainline to the Cities - first against Macalester on Wednesday night which certainly seems more than doable on paper but a much more daunting task awaits on Saturday when the Cobbers visit Robertson Center to take on a Bethel team that is going to be looking to make amends for a disastrous day yesterday (more on that in a bit here soon).
But beyond this is where things get ultra messy and complicated.
First, you have to give props to the Hamline Pipers who are on an eight-game win streak with their latest victims being Carleton and St. Olaf. And, on paper anyway, this streak should continue as the Pipers host Augsburg on Wednesday night before a trip down to Northfield to take on the same St. Olaf team that they downed at Hutton Arena yesterday........CSB avoided - at least for now - the swoon they went into last year about this time and notched two important wins this last week - at home vs St. Kate's on Wednesday night and then down in Northfield against Carleton yesterday. But now comes perhaps the biggest week of all for the Bennies as they'll host Bethel on Wednesday night before a long trip down to Winona to go up against SMU on Saturday........Most expected St. Scholastica to come away with a split this last week (including yours truly) but instead the Saints defied the expectations and after downing Macalester this last Wednesday night, they sent shockwaves throughout Region 9 by coming from behind to knock off Bethel yesterday. Can St. Scholastica defy expectations again this coming week? We'll find out as the Saints go on the road this time around - first by going down to St. Peter on Wednesday night to face GAC and then down to Northfield this coming Saturday to take on Carleton.
It seems hard to believe that two of the tri-leaders from last weekend could fall to where they are right now but they only have themselves to blame for where they're currently at. SMU, for example, got a lopsided win at home against Augsburg on Wednesday night before the debacle at Butler Center yesterday against St. Kate's. Now, the Cardinals should recover this week with two home games on tap - first against St. Olaf on Wednesday night before CSB comes to town this coming Saturday and after yesterday, SMU can ill-afford to take ANY game lightly now........Slumping with the Cardinals on this day is Bethel and while the Royals got the easy win at St. Olaf this last Wednesday night, they choked away a 12-point fourth quarter lead on the road in falling to St. Scholastica. If there was ever a team that had such high hopes and expectations that suddenly finds itself reeling, it's clearly Bethel and while I'm not suggesting that it's time for the Royals to hit the panic button, they at least have to know where that thing's at as they've got a heckuva lot of work to do if they want to get back into title consideration. And this coming week is going to be as challenging as ever as Bethel has to go up to St. Joe on Wednesday night to take on a very dangerous CSB team before hosting first place Concordia this coming Saturday.
Oh what a week it COULD have been for the Gusties as they saw a 15-point lead on Concordia up in Moorhead vanish in the fourth period as GAC fell in a heartbreaker. True, the Gusties recovered yesterday by methodically thumping Macalester back home in St. Peter but with everything that's going on in the MIAC right now, the Gusties HAVE to know and understand that each game from here on out is going to be absolutely critical for them in more ways than one. And this coming Wednesday night GAC has a huge home game against St. Scholastica before venturing up US Highway 169 and the Union Pacific's Mankato Sub mainline to the Cities to take on Augsburg this coming Saturday........St. Kate's lost a tough one up at CSB this last Wednesday night but they pulled off the other shocker yesterday by getting a gigantic upset victory at home against a high-octane SMU team. Obviously the Wildcats have an uphill battle from a MIAC Playoff perspective but on paper anyway, the 'Cats have a decent chance to consolidate on their latest gains this coming week with two more home games - against Carleton on Wednesday night and then against Macalester this coming Saturday.
In all my years of covering MIAC Women's Basketball, I've never seen such a convoluted and messy situation standings-wise ever. There's a lot of moving pieces at the moment and it's anyone's guess as to how this will all shake out in the end. But it's a helluva lot of fun to watch. As always, please feel free to fire away with thoughts.
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