NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

[wscsuperfan]

MEN
Minot State 80, Bemidji State 71
Winona State 89, Wayne State 71
Upper Iowa 87, Augustana 77
Minnesota State-Moorhead 71, Minnesota-Duluth 67
Sioux Falls 88, Minnesota State-Mankato 81
Northern State 83, St. Cloud State 63
Mary 80, Minnesota-Crookston 70
Southwest Minnesota State 80, Concordia-St. Paul 59

==================================

Final Overall Standings
1. Northern State (27-3, 20-2)
2. Southwest Minnesota State (21-7, 17-5)
2. St. Cloud State (21-7, 17-5)
4. Minnesota State-Mankato (20-8, 16-6)
5. Sioux Falls (19-9, 14-8)
5. Winona State (19-9, 14-8)
7. Minot State (19-9, 13-9)
8. Augustana (15-13, 10-12)
8. Upper Iowa (17-14, 10-12)
10. Bemidji State (12-15, 9-13)
10. Wayne State (14-16, 9-13)
12. Minnesota-Crookston (10-18, 7-15)
12. Minnesota-Duluth (11-17, 7-15)
14. Minnesota State-Moorhead (7-21, 5-17)
15. Concordia-St. Paul (5-23, 4-18)
15. Mary (6-20, 4-18)

Northern State is the 2017-18 NSIC Champion

Final North Division Standings
1. Northern State (27-3, 20-2)
2. St. Cloud State (21-7, 17-5)
3. Minot State (19-9, 13-9)
4. Bemidji State (12-15, 9-13)
5. Minnesota-Crookston (10-18, 7-15)
5. Minnesota-Duluth (11-17, 7-15)
7. Minnesota State-Moorhead (7-21, 5-17)
8. Mary (6-20, 4-18)

Northern State is the North Division Champion

Final South Division Standings
1. Southwest Minnesota State (21-7, 17-5)
2. Minnesota State-Mankato (20-8, 16-6)
3. Sioux Falls (19-9, 14-8)
3. Winona State (19-9, 14-8)
5. Augustana (15-13, 10-12)
5. Upper Iowa (17-14, 10-12)
7. Wayne State (14-16, 9-13)
8. Concordia-St. Paul (5-23, 4-18)

Southwest Minnesota State is the South Division Champion

[wscsuperfan]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Official bracket is not out yet, but I think I've ran through the tie-breakers correctly

NSIC Men's Tournament - First Round, Wednesday, February 21
Concordia-St. Paul at Northern State
Minnesota-Duluth at Winona State
Minnesota State-Moorhead at Minnesota State-Mankato
Upper Iowa at Minot State

Mary at Southwest Minnesota State
Bemidji State at Augustana
Wayne State at St. Cloud State
Minnesota-Crookston at Sioux Falls

[DapperDan]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Official bracket is not out yet, but I think I've ran through the tie-breakers correctly

NSIC Men's Tournament - First Round, Wednesday, February 21
Concordia-St. Paul at Northern State
Minnesota-Duluth at Winona State
Minnesota State-Moorhead at Minnesota State-Mankato
Upper Iowa at Minot State

Mary at Southwest Minnesota State
Bemidji State at Augustana
Wayne State at St. Cloud State
Minnesota-Crookston at Sioux Falls

The loss to Augustana was a killer for us.

[Stanger86]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Potential quarterfinal matchups....
SMSU vs. Augie
St. Cloud vs. Sioux Falls

Northern vs. Winona
Mankato vs. Minot

[DapperDan]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Potential quarterfinal matchups....
SMSU vs. Augie
St. Cloud vs. Sioux Falls

Northern vs. Winona
Mankato vs. Minot

See my previous comment.

[MrAugustana]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Much thanks to the Warriors for stomping the Wildcats last night. That was exceedingly helpful.

My hopes aren't exactly at their all-time highest due to the fact that we haven't won 2 games in a row in several weeks, but I will say that our bracket is encouraging. Playing a team we've split with (and in the loss had a chance to tie the game with 20 seconds left) in SMSU as well as a team we played tough twice and could've had two wins against (USF) is much more encouraging than some of the other matchups we could've had. Obviously we didn't play our best against St. Cloud and I'm not desperate to play them again, but we'll cross that bridge if we get to it.

Also need to beat Bemidji first. Which, after beating them soundly the first time around, might be a potentially bad situation. Based on how they've played at times this year, if the Vikes come out overconfident against the Beavers, things could go not well for us. Here's to hoping they're mentally prepared to make some kind of run. It would be a blast to win the tournament and make the Regional after an uncharacteristically rough season.

[wsuguy87]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Much thanks to the Warriors for stomping the Wildcats last night. That was exceedingly helpful.

My hopes aren't exactly at their all-time highest due to the fact that we haven't won 2 games in a row in several weeks, but I will say that our bracket is encouraging. Playing a team we've split with (and in the loss had a chance to tie the game with 20 seconds left) in SMSU as well as a team we played tough twice and could've had two wins against (USF) is much more encouraging than some of the other matchups we could've had. Obviously we didn't play our best against St. Cloud and I'm not desperate to play them again, but we'll cross that bridge if we get to it.

Also need to beat Bemidji first. Which, after beating them soundly the first time around, might be a potentially bad situation. Based on how they've played at times this year, if the Vikes come out overconfident against the Beavers, things could go not well for us. Here's to hoping they're mentally prepared to make some kind of run. It would be a blast to win the tournament and make the Regional after an uncharacteristically rough season.

At least you'll have that well-earned home court advantage going for you.

[MrAugustana]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

At least you'll have that well-earned home court advantage going for you.

On the plus side, the Vikes haven't played a single game there this season. Which means more than half of our roster has never played a minute on that court in their college basketball careers.

That being said, have you alerted the Northern Sun Conference to the constant and unceasing displeasure this situation afflicts you with?

[Peacock]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Peacocks close out strong winning 7 of their last 9. Gives me a glimmer of hope going into the tournament - I could see the Peacocks making a run. A long trip to Minot - hopefully they can not let that impact them as they get ready. Overall pretty satisfied with how season ended up, a lot of questions going in after graduating 4 1,000 point scorers and defensive player of the year in the NSIC. Was a bit bumpy early and middle of season, but closed strong. Smoldt turned out to be everything that was advertised coming in - very glad we get 3 more years of him. Parker a strong senior season and took control last night to close out with a win in his last game ever at Dorman gym. Looking forward to the tournament!

[Augieholic]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Peacocks close out strong winning 7 of their last 9. Gives me a glimmer of hope going into the tournament - I could see the Peacocks making a run. A long trip to Minot - hopefully they can not let that impact them as they get ready. Overall pretty satisfied with how season ended up, a lot of questions going in after graduating 4 1,000 point scorers and defensive player of the year in the NSIC. Was a bit bumpy early and middle of season, but closed strong. Smoldt turned out to be everything that was advertised coming in - very glad we get 3 more years of him. Parker a strong senior season and took control last night to close out with a win in his last game ever at Dorman gym. Looking forward to the tournament!

That 30 footer Parker hit to beat the shot clock late in the game was one of the more remarkable shots I've seen this season

[wsuguy87]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

On the plus side, the Vikes haven't played a single game there this season. Which means more than half of our roster has never played a minute on that court in their college basketball careers.

That being said, have you alerted the Northern Sun Conference to the constant and unceasing displeasure this situation afflicts you with?

Still trying to play off this whole "it's not an advantage" narrative? Weak. Just plain old weak.

And yes. I have. Both the conference office and some university presidents.

[MrAugustana]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Still trying to play off this whole "it's not an advantage" narrative? Weak. Just plain old weak.

And yes. I have. Both the conference office and some university presidents.

There's a difference between weak and untrue. I never said "it's not an advantage," I simply said that, compared to the usual situation, it's less advantageous than it has been in years past. Yes, we will have more fans there. But strictly as a court, it's as neutral as any other court they could be playing on. It's as advantageous for USF this year as it is for Augie, yet no one seems to complain about it being advantageous for the Cougars. It always comes up as the NSIC favoring Augie whenever people whine about it.

I recognize the main argument is that it should be held at the home venue of the team that wins the conference. I get why people make this point, but it's also unrealistic. Would it bug me more if the conference felt that Minot or Duluth were the best place to accomplish the goal of amassing sponsorship dollars and increasing overall attendance? Probably. But that's not going to change the fact that the conference (and many other conferences at a variety of levels) play their tournaments in a "neutral" venue that is undoubtedly and unavoidably more advantageous for some schools in the conference than others.

Again, I recognize that you and others don't like that fact, but it's not like the Augie fans woke up one morning and petitioned the the conference office to change it to accommodate us. That was the decision that was made. If the conference decided tomorrow to rotate it between 3-4 sites (changing it every year), I'd probably say, "Well, it was fun in Sioux Falls while it lasted" and most likely not attend it in Duluth or Bismarck or Rochester because it's too far away. Which is probably what would happen at most non-Sioux Falls locations, for better or worse (as witnessed in the mostly failed Rochester attempt that took place during a time when Winona was still a highly-followed program and had the best opportunity to draw a crowd to Rochester).

I don't need to "play off" or defend Augie's position in this because it's not like Augie's administrators made this decision. I'm simply looking at the reality of the situation as things stand today. What I said was mostly in jest anyway, knowing you weren't really going to bend in your opinion on things, as you've made that quite clear over the past few years.

All that said, I commend you for actually contacting people to voice your frustrations. Nothing more irritating than seeing people complain about something behind closed doors but never taking the next step to voice their frustrations to the people who actually make the decisions.

P.S. - I am 90% sure you'll say something like, "I was just joking, don't take things so seriously, no need to write a novel, etc." but once I started writing, I realized I was enjoying the flow and didn't really care to stop. Happens quite regularly, as most of you know. It's honestly not that big a deal to me either, other than people always acting like this was Augie's choice or something.

[wsuguy87]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

There's a difference between weak and untrue. I never said "it's not an advantage," I simply said that, compared to the usual situation, it's less advantageous than it has been in years past. Yes, we will have more fans there. But strictly as a court, it's as neutral as any other court they could be playing on. It's as advantageous for USF this year as it is for Augie, yet no one seems to complain about it being advantageous for the Cougars. It always comes up as the NSIC favoring Augie whenever people whine about it.

I recognize the main argument is that it should be held at the home venue of the team that wins the conference. I get why people make this point, but it's also unrealistic. Would it bug me more if the conference felt that Minot or Duluth were the best place to accomplish the goal of amassing sponsorship dollars and increasing overall attendance? Probably. But that's not going to change the fact that the conference (and many other conferences at a variety of levels) play their tournaments in a "neutral" venue that is undoubtedly and unavoidably more advantageous for some schools in the conference than others.

Again, I recognize that you and others don't like that fact, but it's not like the Augie fans woke up one morning and petitioned the the conference office to change it to accommodate us. That was the decision that was made. If the conference decided tomorrow to rotate it between 3-4 sites (changing it every year), I'd probably say, "Well, it was fun in Sioux Falls while it lasted" and most likely not attend it in Duluth or Bismarck or Rochester because it's too far away. Which is probably what would happen at most non-Sioux Falls locations, for better or worse (as witnessed in the mostly failed Rochester attempt that took place during a time when Winona was still a highly-followed program and had the best opportunity to draw a crowd to Rochester).

I don't need to "play off" or defend Augie's position in this because it's not like Augie's administrators made this decision. I'm simply looking at the reality of the situation as things stand today. What I said was mostly in jest anyway, knowing you weren't really going to bend in your opinion on things, as you've made that quite clear over the past few years.

All that said, I commend you for actually contacting people to voice your frustrations. Nothing more irritating than seeing people complain about something behind closed doors but never taking the next step to voice their frustrations to the people who actually make the decisions.

P.S. - I am 90% sure you'll say something like, "I was just joking, don't take things so seriously, no need to write a novel, etc." but once I started writing, I realized I was enjoying the flow and didn't really care to stop. Happens quite regularly, as most of you know. It's honestly not that big a deal to me either, other than people always acting like this was Augie's choice or something.

You'd have a hard time finding a post where I indicated I thought this was "Augie's choice." In fact, I've jokingly referred to the conference as the "Sioux Falls Sun Conference," not the "Augie Booster Club." I have seen posts where you and other Augie supporters try to play this off as "neutral," or not that big of a deal and it's laughable to me.

If the tournament is now about making money and not about doing what's best for the kids playing the game and competitive balance, then I guess that's okay to some. Not for me. Part of the greatness of Division II athletics is that it's not all about the money. This is why I log in every Saturday during the fall and winter months to watch the NSIC and not Division I games.

It was especially nauseating when I watched the video stream in past years and been treated to announcers so pro-Augie it became unwatchable. That did little to help the appearance that the conference threw competitive balance and fairness out the window for a few extra bucks with little regard to how it looks or what it did for game. I find that ridiculous.

All that said, the decision is what it is and when USF or Augie has a distinct home court advantage (they didn't earn) in a semi-final or final tournament game this year, I'll once again point out how dumb the decision was for the game and the players.

[wsuguy87]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

The loss to Augustana was a killer for us.

Certainly was. Though, considering all we heard about how "terrible" WSU would be this year (mostly from other Warrior fans), I'm pretty excited to see them on the verge of a 20-win season. Taking into account all the injures, this team has over-achieved in my book. Hopefully, they can get by UMD and then give their best effort against that juggernaut from Aberdeen.

[DapperDan]

Re: NSIC Men's Scores, Final Standings & Tournament Bracket (2/17)

Certainly was. Though, considering all we heard about how "terrible" WSU would be this year (mostly from other Warrior fans), I'm pretty excited to see them on the verge of a 20-win season. Taking into account all the injures, this team has over-achieved in my book. Hopefully, they can get by UMD and then give their best effort against that juggernaut from Aberdeen.

Maybe Concordia can throw us a bone.