The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

[laker]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

This is funny.

But I can't give you any rep points, gotta share with the class.

Gotta have something to talk about today. Game is another 24 hours away.

[Purple Mav Man]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Odd. Your wife told me that she is looking forward to next season. I might have misunderstood what she said.

This is funny.

But I can't give you any rep points, gotta share with the class.

[laker]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

.On a side note, I'm kind of looking forward to disengaging from the boards a little bit the next few months. Especially after Tuesday night's game. My wife is probably looking forward to it as well.

Odd. Your wife told me that she is looking forward to next season. I might have misunderstood what she said.

[MrAugustana]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Huh. Can't seem to edit my previous post, so I'll just have to make a new post instead of adding this to the previous one. As a follow-up to Spencer's 1st Team All-Region award, I think it may have gotten lost in the shuffle that Spencer broke the all-time career assist record this year at Augie as a junior.

Similarly impressive, in my mind, is the fact that he only had 2 fewer assists this season than last season (242 this year, 244 last year). Seeing as his recipients of those passes weren't necessarily of the same caliber scoring-wise as Jansen/Schilling/Richter, I'm kind of amazed he was able to put up such similar numbers.

Also found this stat from the press release interesting:

He is the NCAA Division II career active leader in assists 688, which is also Augustana's all-time career record.

That's kind of cool too.

Congrats again to Jordan. Looking forward to having him back next year to continue leading this team.

[MrAugustana]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Also, congrats to Augie's Jordan Spencer. Just saw he was named to the D2CCA All-Central Region 1st Team: http://goaugie.com/news/2017/3/13/me...irst-team.aspx

Jordan Spencer named to D2CCA All-Central Region First TeamFirst Team
Gage Davis, So., G, 6-4, St. Cloud State
Aaron Lien, Sr., G, 6-4, MSU Moorhead
*Justin Pitts, Jr., G, 5-9, Northwest Missouri State
Braxton Reeves, Sr., F, 6-4, East Central
Jordan Spencer, Jr., G, 6-2, Augusana

*D2CCA Central Region Player of the Year

Second Team
Rob Davis, Sr., G, 5-11, Fort Hays State
Derylton Hill, Jr., F, 6-5, Arkansas-Monticello
Tyler Rudolph, Jr., F, 6-6, Minot State
Brady Skeens, Jr., F, 6-7, Washburn
Anthony Virdure, Sr., G, 6-0, Lincoln

[MrAugustana]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Regardless of what happens this weekend, congrats to the Vikes on making the Regional this year. I believe someone on the selection show last night mentioned that there were 40 at-large bids this year, meaning the Vikes were one of 40 teams in D2 to make the tournament without winning their conference tourney.

On the one hand, I know there are plenty of fans who think, Well, you just won the National Championship, your program should make the tournament every year, and I don't entirely disagree. That's part of being a top-tier program. On the other hand, the Vikes certainly lost a lot off of last year's roster, not just in terms of point scored, but in terms of defense (particularly a 2-time conference Defensive Player of the Year), and, probably most importantly, experience playing in big games. We returned a couple of starters and a few bench guys, but a lot of those bench guys played nowhere near as many big time minutes as last year's starters did. To still be in the hunt for a Sweet Sixteen or, depending on how tired and unprepared Northwest is on a back to back night and how hard Pitts gets fouled, possibly an Elite Eight berth is commendable in my opinion.

At the start of this season, I definitely can't say I was expecting to make the Regional. I was hoping for right around 18-12 or 19-11 or so at best. To be 23-8 with a 5-seed in a pretty tough region and, in my opinion, at least the chance to beat almost anybody in this region is more than I expected, and probably more than a few other fans expected too.

Congrats to the Vikes--players, coaching staff, administrators, etc.--on a great season regardless of what happens next weekend. Here's to hoping we keep things rolling for a few more games at least.

After last night's game, I still feel the exact same way. Very proud of our players, our coaching staff, and our administration for putting together a great team after losing so much.

One thing I wanted to point out is that there are many people who are viewing this as a down year, yet, statistically, this year still tied for the third-best win total in school history. Just shows the point we've reached as a program when some fans are seeing a 24-win season as somewhat of a down year.

For reference, here are the other top win/loss records in school history (the majority are from the Billeter era, other than the Bill Gross-coached 1988-89 season):

1988-89 | 23-7

2007-08 | 22-9

2008-09 | 21-10

2009-10 | 24-7

2012-13 | 22-9

2014-15 | 31-3

2015-16 | 34-2

2016-17 | 24-8

Again, really proud of what this team accomplished and I'm looking forward to what we can do in the future. We've got some really, really strong young guards coming in as freshmen, Levi Jansen should finally be healthy next season, and some guys who came in this year with little to no in-game experience (Marcus Asmus in particular, along with freshman Lucas Walford, and even Steven Schaefer a little bit) got lots of minutes this year and will hopefully be even more ready to be impact players next season.

Not sure if Mankato is getting rid of any more Mike Busacks, but I'd also be open to one of them again. :)

All in all, great effort from the Vikes this season, even if it didn't end as spectacularly as last year ended. Really like that this program didn't take a major step back as some programs do after winning a National Championship. We may not have been able to string together a Winona-esque run, but I'll still take what we've accomplished over the past few seasons over about what 95-99% of other programs in D2 have accomplished in that same stretch of time.

On a side note, I'm kind of looking forward to disengaging from the boards a little bit the next few months. Especially after Tuesday night's game. My wife is probably looking forward to it as well.

VST! VSS! Go Bearcats (at least until this season is over)!

[vikingfaithful]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Regardless of what happens this weekend, congrats to the Vikes on making the Regional this year. I believe someone on the selection show last night mentioned that there were 40 at-large bids this year, meaning the Vikes were one of 40 teams in D2 to make the tournament without winning their conference tourney.

On the one hand, I know there are plenty of fans who think, Well, you just won the National Championship, your program should make the tournament every year, and I don't entirely disagree. That's part of being a top-tier program. On the other hand, the Vikes certainly lost a lot off of last year's roster, not just in terms of point scored, but in terms of defense (particularly a 2-time conference Defensive Player of the Year), and, probably most importantly, experience playing in big games. We returned a couple of starters and a few bench guys, but a lot of those bench guys played nowhere near as many big time minutes as last year's starters did. To still be in the hunt for a Sweet Sixteen or, depending on how tired and unprepared Northwest is on a back to back night and how hard Pitts gets fouled, possibly an Elite Eight berth is commendable in my opinion.

At the start of this season, I definitely can't say I was expecting to make the Regional. I was hoping for right around 18-12 or 19-11 or so at best. To be 23-8 with a 5-seed in a pretty tough region and, in my opinion, at least the chance to beat almost anybody in this region is more than I expected, and probably more than a few other fans expected too.

Congrats to the Vikes--players, coaching staff, administrators, etc.--on a great season regardless of what happens next weekend. Here's to hoping we keep things rolling for a few more games at least.

Well stated Mr. A. AU is so fortunate to have Mike Busack join the team for a season, especially with freshman Jansen's injury. Would be fantastic to have another shot at NWMSU to see how the Vikings measure up as the team has certainly improved over the course of the season.

[MrAugustana]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Regardless of what happens this weekend, congrats to the Vikes on making the Regional this year. I believe someone on the selection show last night mentioned that there were 40 at-large bids this year, meaning the Vikes were one of 40 teams in D2 to make the tournament without winning their conference tourney.

On the one hand, I know there are plenty of fans who think, Well, you just won the National Championship, your program should make the tournament every year, and I don't entirely disagree. That's part of being a top-tier program. On the other hand, the Vikes certainly lost a lot off of last year's roster, not just in terms of point scored, but in terms of defense (particularly a 2-time conference Defensive Player of the Year), and, probably most importantly, experience playing in big games. We returned a couple of starters and a few bench guys, but a lot of those bench guys played nowhere near as many big time minutes as last year's starters did. To still be in the hunt for a Sweet Sixteen or, depending on how tired and unprepared Northwest is on a back to back night and how hard Pitts gets fouled, possibly an Elite Eight berth is commendable in my opinion.

At the start of this season, I definitely can't say I was expecting to make the Regional. I was hoping for right around 18-12 or 19-11 or so at best. To be 23-8 with a 5-seed in a pretty tough region and, in my opinion, at least the chance to beat almost anybody in this region is more than I expected, and probably more than a few other fans expected too.

Congrats to the Vikes--players, coaching staff, administrators, etc.--on a great season regardless of what happens next weekend. Here's to hoping we keep things rolling for a few more games at least.

[vikingfaithful]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Hey guys, here's my most recent Mirror article on the team, with quotations from Billeter, Beyer and Spencer. I'm sure there's at least a few nuggets in here you'll find worthy of your attention, though the story is meant for a less-knowledgable audience. http://www.augiemirror.com/mens-bask...in-nsic-semis/

One of the great things about Tom Billeter is the speaks the truth and very little coach speak. In another interview with an Aberdeen radio program he said worrying about losing his job motivates him, how many coaches would speak that honestly?

[vikesfan]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Hey guys, here's my most recent Mirror article on the team, with quotations from Billeter, Beyer and Spencer. I'm sure there's at least a few nuggets in here you'll find worthy of your attention, though the story is meant for a less-knowledgable audience. http://www.augiemirror.com/mens-bask...in-nsic-semis/

[MrAugustana]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

So your dream NCAA D1 Tournament wouldn't involve any mid-mid-major schools? Randomness is throughly enjoyable, it's why people love March Madness and surprises like George Mason, Butler, VCU, Florida Gulf Coast, Northern Iowa, and the one that started it all Gonzaga.

It would involve the same number of mid-mid-major schools. I would just reward the team that won its conference regular season (by winning consistently all year) rather than rewarding the team that wins 3-4 games in the conference tournament. I know that cuts, like, 50% of the "Tourney Week" ESPN stuff, which, admittedly, is a blast. But I would rather see a team that worked hard all year get in--and, who knows, possibly make a solid, Gonzaga-esque Cinderella run because they're a good team--than see a less deserving team get in just because they won a few games at the right time and pulled off an upset in the championship game.

[NSU4LIFE]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

If my memory is correct- years ago the NIC and NCC took the top four teams. At least the NCC did. Then you could get the tournament done in one weekend. The gym was full and not only the teams but the fans didn't get worn out. Since the NCC tourney didn't include the Mavs that year, I went to Concordia to watch Coach Meyer speak into his recorder as the game went on- even when there was no doubt on who would win. The man was ALWAYS coaching. But I digress.

How about taking the top 8 teams- the top four host on Wednesday. Then the Final Four is on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, the NSIC wants both the men's and the women's tournament on the same site. So, how about finding a way to have all partner games on Friday of the last weekend of the conference season so you don't have games on Saturday. Or you could just have games on Saturday and you still get time to rest up since there is only one game. Start the women's playoff games on Tuesday and the NSIC Final Four on Friday night. Have the men continue to have their games on Wednesday and start their Final Four on Saturday. The women's finals would be on Saturday.Then finish the men off on Sunday. None of this Monday and Tuesday stuff over the long weekend.

Just throwing this out there. And please, someone give Mr. Mr. a quaalude and keep all copies of Broken Wings away from him until after the regional.

To somewhat piggy back on that...I kind of like the idea of playing travel partners the first and last weekend of the season. Especially toward the end of the season, it's one less game to play going into a long 4 game conference tourney.

[laker]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Matt ZimmerVerified account @argusmattz 8m8 minutes ago
Tom Douple says when UND joins the Summit League the conference tournament will remain at 8-teams.

Since we are discussing the number of teams in the playoffs, I thought that Matt Zimmer's tweet was appropriate to share.

[laker]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

Am I even making sense? Do I just sound like a crazy person? Are there horse socks? Is anybody listening to me?

If my memory is correct- years ago the NIC and NCC took the top four teams. At least the NCC did. Then you could get the tournament done in one weekend. The gym was full and not only the teams but the fans didn't get worn out. Since the NCC tourney didn't include the Mavs that year, I went to Concordia to watch Coach Meyer speak into his recorder as the game went on- even when there was no doubt on who would win. The man was ALWAYS coaching. But I digress.

How about taking the top 8 teams- the top four host on Wednesday. Then the Final Four is on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, the NSIC wants both the men's and the women's tournament on the same site. So, how about finding a way to have all partner games on Friday of the last weekend of the conference season so you don't have games on Saturday. Or you could just have games on Saturday and you still get time to rest up since there is only one game. Start the women's playoff games on Tuesday and the NSIC Final Four on Friday night. Have the men continue to have their games on Wednesday and start their Final Four on Saturday. The women's finals would be on Saturday.Then finish the men off on Sunday. None of this Monday and Tuesday stuff over the long weekend.

Just throwing this out there. And please, someone give Mr. Mr. a quaalude and keep all copies of Broken Wings away from him until after the regional.

[Augieholic]

Re: The NEW Official Thread of the Augustana Vikings

On top of that, look what that CSP loss did to Moorhead. They dropped below Augie AND Concordia did absolutely nothing after their win. It's great to say, "Well, the current format gives every team in the conference a chance to make the Regional if they put together a little conference tourney Cinderella run."

Here's my question: Who decided that Concordia-St. Paul or Minnesota Duluth deserves a chance to make a Cinderella run to reach the NCAA Tournament? I know that's easy to say as a fan of a team that hasn't been in that bottom-of-the-standings position since 2004-2005, but seriously. All that CSP/Moorhead game accomplished was that it gave CSP one "big win" over Moorhead before they lost their next game and their season was over. And even if they made a run and miraculously won the whole NSIC Tourney, why should they be rewarded with one of the EIGHT spots available to the 42 or 43 (is it 43?) teams in our entire region? Do we really want 7 deserving teams and then a 9-24 (which would've been their record if they'd won it all) NSIC representative getting the 8-seed?

As Billeter mentioned in that interview, if you want to get an at-large bid to the tournament, you have to be one of the 5 best teams in a 43-team region, depending on how the conference tourneys all shake out. But you at least have to be one of the 5 best teams if you want to be guaranteed a spot.

If you're the 6th or 7th or 8th best team in the region, why should you have to sit and watch a 9-24 Concordia-St. Paul squad sneak into the spot you've worked all season to earn just because they got hot during one important 4-game stretch? To me that's ridiculous.

I believe up until the loss to SMSU this past weekend, Augie was on an 8-game winning streak. So you have Augie putting together not one, but two 4-game winning streaks in the last two months alone, yet there could've been a situation (possibly) where the Vikes got bumped out of the Regional because CSP...or Crookston...or Duluth had a single 4-game winning streak (with slightly different circumstances in terms of frequency of games, etc., but still...) at a more convenient time?

I know I'm starting to ramble like a drunk old man, but this is something that's bugged me for awhile now. It also drives me crazy that the Summit League works that way. If I'm a USD fan and I've watched the (mangy) Coyotes win an outright conference championship by winning games all season, I'd be livid if SDSU or IUPUI or some other average team just happened to win 4 games in a row and snag an NCAA Tourney spot while my (mangy) Coyotes get demoted to the NIT. There should be some better reward for being the best team all season long than, "Oh well, you don't get to go to the Big Dance, have fun at the NIT losers."

Am I even making sense? Do I just sound like a crazy person? Are there horse socks? Is anybody listening to me?

So your dream NCAA D1 Tournament wouldn't involve any mid-mid-major schools? Randomness is throughly enjoyable, it's why people love March Madness and surprises like George Mason, Butler, VCU, Florida Gulf Coast, Northern Iowa, and the one that started it all Gonzaga.