It wasn't a shock that Minnesota State was eliminated by St. Cloud State in the semifinals of the Central Region men's basketball tournament Sunday, but it was surprising at how this season, which looked so promising just three weeks ago, came to a sudden end.
Playing at Bresnan Arena used to nearly guarantee a victory, but the Mavericks lost three of their last four home games. For most of the season, the Mavericks were the stronger team in the final five minutes of a game, but that was not the case in the last three weeks as other teams executed better in clutch situations.
A team that could put up some lofty offensive numbers was really held in check by physical opponents who mixed in a good deal of zone defense.
It's tough to find fault in a 25-5 season, especially one that includes a Northern Sun conference championship. This was the sixth straight appearance in the national tournament, and the Mavericks are 149-41 over that span.
But it's got to be tough to come up short again in the region tournament. Eventually, the Mavericks will likely break through and get to the Elite Eight, but it won't be this year, and it's a long time until practice begins again Oct. 15.
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