The Central Region men's basketball tournament begins Saturday at Bresnan Arena, and it could be the best day of basketball that venue has ever seen.
In the first game at noon, Chop Tang, the former Mankato East standout, brings his New Mexico Highlands teammates to town to face Augustana. This game has the potential for a track meet between two gifted offensive teams so the team that makes an occasional stop will win. I'll take Augustana.
In the second game at 2:30 p.m., Mesa State takes on Winona State. Mesa State was the top seed in the region for the first month of rankings but faltered late. Guard Mike Dominguez might be the most gifted offensive player in the tournament. Winona State needs to replace leading scorer David Johnson, who is out with a leg injury. I'll take Mesa State, though this should be close. It's tough to ever count out Winona State.
At 6 p.m., the Mavericks take on Colorado School of Mines. This looks like the most lopsided first-round matchup, though Minnesota State has struggled the last couple of weeks. The Mavericks should be too big, deep and athletic for Mines, who need to contro the tempo.
The nightcap pits St. Cloud State and Metro State. These teams both won conference tournaments, and it comes down to the Huskies' inside strength vs. Metro's athleticism. It's tough to pick against St. Cloud State, considering they have the intangible of getting screwed in the seeding process.
For an extensive preview of the tournament, check out Saturday's print edition.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
East, West play in section semifinals
Only twice in the last 12 seasons has the Mankato West and Mankato East boys basketball teams both missed the section championship game, but both teams are on the road for tough section semifinal games Saturday.
East plays at top-seeded Hutchinson, who won 72-55 at the East gym in December. The Cougars have won 15 of the last 19 games and will need strong games from guard Alex Welter and centers Sam Onsomu and Brody Ziegler to advance.
West plays at second-seeded Willmar. The teams have one common opponent: West defeated New Ulm handily early in the season, and Willmar beat New Ulm by six in the section quarterfinals. Shooters Preston Brunz, Ethan Tramp and Nick Kaus will need to score well for the Scarlets to win.
The section championship game will be played Thursday at Minnesota State's Bresnan Arena.
East plays at top-seeded Hutchinson, who won 72-55 at the East gym in December. The Cougars have won 15 of the last 19 games and will need strong games from guard Alex Welter and centers Sam Onsomu and Brody Ziegler to advance.
West plays at second-seeded Willmar. The teams have one common opponent: West defeated New Ulm handily early in the season, and Willmar beat New Ulm by six in the section quarterfinals. Shooters Preston Brunz, Ethan Tramp and Nick Kaus will need to score well for the Scarlets to win.
The section championship game will be played Thursday at Minnesota State's Bresnan Arena.
Monday, March 8, 2010
MSU will host basketball regional
As expected, Minnesota State received the No. 1 seed for the Central Region men's basketball tournament, which will be played Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday at Bresnan Arena.
It's the sixth consecutive national-tournament berth for the Mavericks, who have watched the previous five host teams for the region advance to the Elite Eight.
Two weeks ago, it would have seemed that the home court would be enough to carry Minnesota State to its first final-eight appearance, but the Mavericks have dropped the last two games at Bresnan Arena and don't seem bulletproof anymore.
The Mavericks open with Colorado School of Mines, a surprise eighth seed, in the quarterfinals Saturday. A victory there would push Minnesota State into a semifinal game against St. Cloud State and Metro State, which should be a fun quarterfinal game. The Huskies got screwed in the seedings, staying at No. 4 despite winning the Northern Sun tournament Sunday.
The other quarterfinals games match Mesa State and Winona State and Augustana and New Mexico Highlands, which features former Mankato East standout Chop Tang.
It should be a pretty good weekend of basketball at Bresnan Arena, though with students on spring break, it's going to leave the community to create a homecourt advantage, which seems unlikely.
Things have gone right to put the Mavericks in a position to advance out of this tournament. Now it's up to them.
It's the sixth consecutive national-tournament berth for the Mavericks, who have watched the previous five host teams for the region advance to the Elite Eight.
Two weeks ago, it would have seemed that the home court would be enough to carry Minnesota State to its first final-eight appearance, but the Mavericks have dropped the last two games at Bresnan Arena and don't seem bulletproof anymore.
The Mavericks open with Colorado School of Mines, a surprise eighth seed, in the quarterfinals Saturday. A victory there would push Minnesota State into a semifinal game against St. Cloud State and Metro State, which should be a fun quarterfinal game. The Huskies got screwed in the seedings, staying at No. 4 despite winning the Northern Sun tournament Sunday.
The other quarterfinals games match Mesa State and Winona State and Augustana and New Mexico Highlands, which features former Mankato East standout Chop Tang.
It should be a pretty good weekend of basketball at Bresnan Arena, though with students on spring break, it's going to leave the community to create a homecourt advantage, which seems unlikely.
Things have gone right to put the Mavericks in a position to advance out of this tournament. Now it's up to them.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Prediction for Central Region rankings
The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament brackets won't be announced until sometime after 8 p.m. today, but I was right on with the Northern Sun individual awards earlier this week so I thought I'd take a stab at the Central Region rankings.
Keep in mind that I have only a slim idea what the regional committee takes into account when deciding which eight teams from the Northern Sun and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will advance to the national tournament. This is based on polls leading up to today and a gut feeling about how this has operated in the past.
1. Minnesota State. The Mavericks don't seem so deserving, having lost three of the last five games and the last two home games, but you can't throw away the entire body of work. Minnesota State is 24-4, with three losses coming to Augustana and St. Cloud State, other top teams in this region.
2. Mesa State. It seems the committee has preferred to have both conferences represented in the top two. Again, Mesa State has struggled to finish the season, but the Mavericks have been the best team in the RMAC, and we'll see what that means next weekend.
3. St. Cloud State. It seems the Huskies got screwed by the committe last week, showing up in fourth, and despite advancing to the championship game of the Northern Sun tournament, which began at 2 p.m., it's unlikely the Huskies will jump all the way to No. 1. And No. 2 probably goes to an RMAC team.
4. Augustana. The Vikings had a legitimate chance of overtaking Minnesota State, having swept the Mavericks, but they lost in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, too.
5. Metro State. Metro holds the spot after defeating Highlands in the RMAC tournament.
6. New Mexico Highlands. The most dangerous team in the RMAC, and senior forward Chop Tang is returning to Mankato.
7. Winona State. It's been an up and down season for the Warriors, who needed the victory over Mary in the Northern Sun tournament to guarantee this spot.
8. Southwest Minnesota State with a victory in the Northern Sun championship. Otherwise, Colorado School of Mines or Fort Lewis grabs this spot by default.
Keep in mind that I have only a slim idea what the regional committee takes into account when deciding which eight teams from the Northern Sun and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will advance to the national tournament. This is based on polls leading up to today and a gut feeling about how this has operated in the past.
1. Minnesota State. The Mavericks don't seem so deserving, having lost three of the last five games and the last two home games, but you can't throw away the entire body of work. Minnesota State is 24-4, with three losses coming to Augustana and St. Cloud State, other top teams in this region.
2. Mesa State. It seems the committee has preferred to have both conferences represented in the top two. Again, Mesa State has struggled to finish the season, but the Mavericks have been the best team in the RMAC, and we'll see what that means next weekend.
3. St. Cloud State. It seems the Huskies got screwed by the committe last week, showing up in fourth, and despite advancing to the championship game of the Northern Sun tournament, which began at 2 p.m., it's unlikely the Huskies will jump all the way to No. 1. And No. 2 probably goes to an RMAC team.
4. Augustana. The Vikings had a legitimate chance of overtaking Minnesota State, having swept the Mavericks, but they lost in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, too.
5. Metro State. Metro holds the spot after defeating Highlands in the RMAC tournament.
6. New Mexico Highlands. The most dangerous team in the RMAC, and senior forward Chop Tang is returning to Mankato.
7. Winona State. It's been an up and down season for the Warriors, who needed the victory over Mary in the Northern Sun tournament to guarantee this spot.
8. Southwest Minnesota State with a victory in the Northern Sun championship. Otherwise, Colorado School of Mines or Fort Lewis grabs this spot by default.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Maybe the Mavericks woke the Mustangs
Surprised that Southwest Minnesota State took out top-seeded Minnesota State in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun men's basketball tournament Wednesday. Maybe you shouldn't have been.
The underdog Mustangs defeated Winona State 81-67 in the tournament semifinals Saturday and will play St. Cloud State in the championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday. St. Cloud State trailed by one with three minutes to play but rallied to defeat Wayne State 74-66 in the semifinals.
The Huskies will play in the national tournament and might get the homecourt advantage in the regional. Southwest needs to win Sunday to get the league's automatic berth.
The pairings will be announced at 8 p.m. Sunday, and it still seems like Minnesota State has a shot at the top seed for the regional. Of course, the Mavericks have lost their last two home games so who knows if that's an advantage?
The underdog Mustangs defeated Winona State 81-67 in the tournament semifinals Saturday and will play St. Cloud State in the championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday. St. Cloud State trailed by one with three minutes to play but rallied to defeat Wayne State 74-66 in the semifinals.
The Huskies will play in the national tournament and might get the homecourt advantage in the regional. Southwest needs to win Sunday to get the league's automatic berth.
The pairings will be announced at 8 p.m. Sunday, and it still seems like Minnesota State has a shot at the top seed for the regional. Of course, the Mavericks have lost their last two home games so who knows if that's an advantage?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Southwest shocks MSU men in tourney opener
Southwest Minnesota State shot better than 60 percent and defeated Minnesota State 80-78 in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball tournament Wednesday at Bresnan Arena.
The loss keeps the Mavericks from hosting the tournament's final four Saturday and Sunday and puts into jeopardy the chances of hosting the Central Region tournament the following weekend.
The Mavericks were still ranked No.1 in the region before Wednesday's loss, and No. 2 Mesa State and No. 3 Augustana have also lost this week. That means the Mavericks will hold up as the top seed and host unless St. Cloud State, which is now hosting the conference tournament, jumps up from No. 4 by winning two more games. That kind of jump this late in the season seems unlikely.
But the Mavericks have lost three of the last five games, including the last two home games, and certainly any swagger or confidence the team had has vanished. Minnesota State has been beaten by more physical teams, and the execution at crunch time has been poor.
What looked like a promising March run has turned into a nightmare of losses, and if nothing else, the region has shown to be wide open.
The loss keeps the Mavericks from hosting the tournament's final four Saturday and Sunday and puts into jeopardy the chances of hosting the Central Region tournament the following weekend.
The Mavericks were still ranked No.1 in the region before Wednesday's loss, and No. 2 Mesa State and No. 3 Augustana have also lost this week. That means the Mavericks will hold up as the top seed and host unless St. Cloud State, which is now hosting the conference tournament, jumps up from No. 4 by winning two more games. That kind of jump this late in the season seems unlikely.
But the Mavericks have lost three of the last five games, including the last two home games, and certainly any swagger or confidence the team had has vanished. Minnesota State has been beaten by more physical teams, and the execution at crunch time has been poor.
What looked like a promising March run has turned into a nightmare of losses, and if nothing else, the region has shown to be wide open.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Educated guesses at Northern Sun basketball awards
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announces its individual awards Wednesday, and though the coaches vote on the selections, here's a guess at who wins what.
For the men:
Player of the year: Matt Schneck of St. Cloud State.
Coach of the year: Matt Margenthaler of Minnesota State.
Newcomer of the year: Jefferson Mason of Minnesota State.
Freshman of the year: Cameron McCaffrey of Augustana.
Defensive player of the year: Mason.
For the women:
Player of the year: Jheri Booker of Minnesota Duluth,
Coach of the year: Chris Kielsmeier of Wayne State.
Newcomer of the year: Maurika Hickman of Concordia-St. Paul.
Freshman of the year: Alex Feeney of Augustana.
Defensive player of the year: Meghan Rettke of Minnesota State-Moorhead.
For more on each guess, pick up the print edition Tuesday. Check back Wednesday to see how I did.
For the men:
Player of the year: Matt Schneck of St. Cloud State.
Coach of the year: Matt Margenthaler of Minnesota State.
Newcomer of the year: Jefferson Mason of Minnesota State.
Freshman of the year: Cameron McCaffrey of Augustana.
Defensive player of the year: Mason.
For the women:
Player of the year: Jheri Booker of Minnesota Duluth,
Coach of the year: Chris Kielsmeier of Wayne State.
Newcomer of the year: Maurika Hickman of Concordia-St. Paul.
Freshman of the year: Alex Feeney of Augustana.
Defensive player of the year: Meghan Rettke of Minnesota State-Moorhead.
For more on each guess, pick up the print edition Tuesday. Check back Wednesday to see how I did.
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