Post Break Predictions - Men's

[MrMustang]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

What do you think about our depth? It can be a little inconsistent offensively I feel, but I really love the cohesion of that second unit. A pleasant surprise!

Kenny and Nick are going to be great players and scorers.

We will need them to take a big step forward this year however to try and keep up with Northern. That is possible, but maybe a reach.

I think they are going to be real good.

[MrMustang]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

What do you think about our depth? It can be a little inconsistent offensively I feel, but I really love the cohesion of that second unit. A pleasant surprise!

Kolin Barltett has been way better than I ever expected. Not as good as Northern's backup, but he is solid.

[Stanger86]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Kolin Barltett has been way better than I ever expected. Not as good as Northern's backup, but he is solid.

I remember talking to Bigler at one point before the season. When I brought up Kolin's name, one of the names he brought up was Casey Sussenguth. I took that as an encouraging sign at the time, and have been even more pleased as the season has continued. Outside of Northern, this league is not littered with post depth so he has been more than capable.

[DapperDan]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

I'm in serious minority with this opinion (at least among most of the WSU fans), but I think the Warriors will continue to get better and will win a few games. That, of course, assumes they stay healthy because depth is an issue. In watching the game last night against Michigan Tech, you can see the talent on the floor. If they continue to improve on defense and can shoot it consistently, they will be alright.

No disparagement directed to Gathje, as he is a very good player, but if this team had a force in the post they could be downright scary.

[Thepeman]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

As of right now, how many teams do you see making the regionals out of your conference?

[MrAugustana]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Three. Northern, Mankato, and maybe SMSU. I don't think Minot is for real, even if they have beaten the Vikes already this year. That's one Augie shouldn't have dropped.

Or if the Vikes manage to pull everything together, replace SMSU with Augie. :)

[Stanger86]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

As of right now, how many teams do you see making the regionals out of your conference?

I would agree with MrA that it's likely 2 or 3.

[Stanger86]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Biggest negative for Minot is their schedule. While their only loss is to Northern, their D2 wins in nonconference are to two of the worst GAC teams.

A team like SMSU has losses to 12-1 Northern, 8-3 Sioux Falls and 9-3 Fort Hays. Probably not any signature wins yet, but some that are solid including 8-4 Northern Michigan, 7-5 Michigan Tech, 8-3 Sioux Falls, 8-3 St Cloud and 8-4 Winona.

[Purple Mav Man]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Biggest negative for Minot is their schedule. While their only loss is to Northern, their D2 wins in nonconference are to two of the worst GAC teams.

A team like SMSU has losses to 12-1 Northern, 8-3 Sioux Falls and 9-3 Fort Hays. Probably not any signature wins yet, but some that are solid including 8-4 Northern Michigan, 7-5 Michigan Tech, 8-3 Sioux Falls, 8-3 St Cloud and 8-4 Winona.

Northern Michigan has also lost to Moorhead and Duluth this year, not sure how strong they are. Same with Michigan Tech, as well as a blowout loss to Winona.

[Augieholic]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

A few musings on NSIC teams that matter:

Northern
Feats of Strength: the best front court in the league, a balanced offensive attack, and one of the best defensive ratings in the league
Airing of Grievances: SaTTher's past history of being unable or unwilling to make in-game adjustments as currently displayed by not exploring the Doyle-Evans pairing on-court, I'm not saying playing those two together will be the Bearcats kyrptonite but I think it's worth trying out since their previous matchup displayed the Wolves aren't getting past McCollum and Pitts by playing the game that will win them the NSIC.

Minot
Feats of Strength: the front runner for NSIC POY in Tyler Rudolph, a guard in Maia who can't walk the streets in South America, a rugged, yet versatile, big man in Akibo, and a great defense
Airing of Grievances: as alluded to earlier we don't have a great read on them yet since their schedule has been friendlier than Lloyd Braun but sweeping the Augie/Wayne trip bodes well

St Cloud
Feats of Strength: Playing without their best player for so long has empowered Averkamp, Theisen, and Smith to flex their muscles and their win @Mankato looks better by the day
Airing of Grievances: are we sure Gage is back for good this time? Also they're the worst 3pt shooting team in the league which isn't usually a trait of conference/regional contenders

Mankato
Feats of Strength: an extremely balanced offensive attack full of plus shooters from long distance
Airing of Grievances: a team full of athletic wings that only plays one guy over 6'6 (and he only averages 11mpg), is the injury Kendrix sustained vs Waldorf serious?

The Kato-Northern game on New Year's Eve will be a great litmus test for both teams. Can Mankato shoot the ball well enough to diminish the easy baskets Northern is likely to generate offensively? Is SaTTher smart enough to avoid getting baited into a small ball free for all?

SMSU
Feats of Strength: Ryan Bruggeman and Brad Bigler
Airing of Grievances: If a team finds a way to limit Bruggeman and his flailing limbs where does the offense come from? Also teams could employ the hack-a-Kirk (54% FT) if necessary

USF
Feats of Strength: Drew Guebert and Trevon Evans are the most explosive 1-2 scoring combo in the league and Guebert might be the toughest cover in the league with his size and shooting ability
Airing of Grievances: coach Chris Johnson has never frightened me from a tactical standpoint, they just lost their third best player in Jerrod Walton for the year, and they're still giving nearly 30mpg to Wessels, a PG, which means the Cougars are playing 4 on 5 during most offensive possessions

Winona State
Feats of Strength: similar to Mankato they have a balanced scoring attack full of plus shooters from the 3pt line who also defend the 3pt line extremely well
Airing of Grievances: have only beaten one D2 team with a winning record (Michigan Tech) and are a pretty young/inexperienced team

Wayne
Feats of Strength: one of the hardest playing teams in the league who creates a lot of mismatches for the opposition and Kendall Jacks is one of the most talented and versatile players in the league and is prone to putting the opposition on a poster
Airing of Grievances: their lack of size makes them liable to get destroyed in the paint and on the glass , they lack individual talent outside of Jack, and they only have one win over D2 teams with winning records (Augie)

Augustana
Feats of Strength: the most lethal 3pt shooting team in the league is the driving force for one of the best offenses in the league, Warren's defensive versatility (and greatness) enables Texas Tom to play a lineup (Spencer-Schaefer-Cartwright-Warren-Dykman) where every single guy is a 40%+ 3pt shooter
Airing of Grievances: outside of Warren this might be the worst defensive team in the Billeter era, the front court of Dykman/Asmus is constantly in foul trouble, and the bench outside of Cartwright is quite young and therefore inconsistent

Based on this I do agree that the NSIC is a 3 bid team to the NCAA Tournament. Northern is a lock, but after that it is a total tossup. Then again does it really matter? None of these teams are winning in Maryville.

[CatFan88]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Post break predictions? Make your reservations early for another trip to Maryville.

[NSU4LIFE]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Let's not act like the Wolves were blown out. It was a two point game at halftime. Not saying we will win given another chance but we aren't light years behind them

[jaydin20]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Minots biggest weakness is probably their size. If they face a bigger team, it could be difficult to go inside. And vice versa. But they make up for it by shooting ability.

[86Catillac]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Let's not act like the Wolves were blown out. It was a two point game at halftime. Not saying we will win given another chance but we aren't light years behind them

Wolves might be favored in a rematch. They seem to be a man amongst boys in the rugged NSIC.

[Augieholic]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Wolves might be favored in a rematch. They seem to be a man amongst boys in the rugged NSIC.

This ain't your older brother's NSIC. Cats by 10