Post Break Predictions - Men's

[NSU4LIFE]

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.

Maybe so far, but toughest test are still coming. No reason for them to be favored in a rematch, that wouldn't make sense at all.

[86Catillac]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Maybe so far, but toughest test are still coming. No reason for them to be favored in a rematch, that wouldn't make sense at all.

Basing my thoughts on instinct. Perhaps NW has peaked already and Wolves are slowly building momentum with the first week of March as their targeted culmination.

[86Catillac]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

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

[MrAugustana]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Perhaps this is true. But from top to bottom it is hard to match the quality that the NSIC brings to the table each year. Northern will be battle tested and hungry. Deadly combination.

Yeah, I suppose that could happ--oh wait, nevermind...it was the same situation last year and you guys managed to keep your confidence at a fairly appropriate level heading into March and beyond.

[simple as a $3 bill]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

false confidence heading into March. Northern will be battle tested and hungry. Deadly combination.

--False confidence=believing that you can beat Pitts in Maryville.
--Deadly combination=Pitts and ANY other 4 Division II players.

[86Catillac]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Yeah, I suppose that could happ--oh wait, nevermind...it was the same situation last year and you guys managed to keep your confidence at a fairly appropriate level heading into March and beyond.

Upper Iowa nearly pulled it off last year. NW was lucky to advance. Hopefully they have learned from that and will be ready if they get lucky enough to host the regional again.

[86Catillac]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

--False confidence=believing that you can beat Pitts in Maryville.
--Deadly combination=Pitts and ANY other 4 Division II players.

[Augieholic]

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.

True, Akibo and Rudolph arent overly tall but Rudolph is roughly the same size as every other "4" in the NSIC and can score from anywhere against anyone not named John Warren. Akibo is a built like smooth domed cinder block and the next person to move him off the block will be the first. The shooting ability you aluded to enables Minot to stretch the court like few, if any, teams can as both Akibo and Rudolph are shooting 40%+ from 3 on 2+ 3PA per game

[MrMustang]

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.

awesome . Happy belated Festivus.

Love the Lloyd Braun reference.

[Stanger86]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Airing of Grievances: If a team finds a way to limit Bruggeman and his flailing limbs where does the offense come from?

LOL

[Stanger86]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Does Tyler Rudolph get the Gage Davis treatment from coaches as they give the North POY to the best player for Northern? (Smith?)

[NSU4LIFE]

Re: Post Break Predictions - Men's

Does Tyler Rudolph get the Gage Davis treatment from coaches as they give the North POY to the best player for Northern? (Smith?)

I don't think it will be going to a wolf, we have many that can have big games but no one does it night in and night out really.