NSIC - conference season chat

[MrAugustana]

Not Augie's best performance against USF. Would imagine some of the heretofore non-existent (on the basketball side) USF fans will be jumping on to express their excitement and optimism for the season. Whether or not that excitement is merited remains to be seen, as they are pretty frequently disappointed as they reach the tail end of the season.

[vikingfaithful]

Six games had passed since the Cougars had bested the Vikings. Tonight, the experienced USF squad won 80-59, Augie's women won by 35. Without Dylan LeBrun harassing Matt Cartwright he put up 22 points. Coach Billeter was surprisingly upbeat and was happy the way two of his true freshmen played in Sam Rensch and Jackson Loge.

[Purple Mav Man]

Mavs win 97-68 over the Peacocks

[NSU4LIFE]

Wolves dying by the three as well. Minot has been aggressive taking it in and hitting virtually all of their open threes. Wolves have literally done nothing inside and just take the first three they can and they are not falling. Wolves down 15 with six minutes to go.

[The Yette]

Mankato is living by the 3 and UIU is dying by the 3 today.

[DapperDan]

It seems that the Warriors have been vertically challenged for 3-4 years. What is the root of this problem?

The root of this problem is pretty obvious isn’t it? They have a tough time recruiting decent bigs or have tough luck playing them when they do. Case in point, Alou Dillon, who they did not get one minute out of and who is now a stud elsewhere. Thanks for the scholarship dollars I guess. Maybe they don’t try enough and focus more on athletic guards. Maybe they try and just can’t score with consistency. They have had some. Tommy Gathje was pretty good but think Eisner inherited him. Lo Biondo was a good JC transfer so I’ll give him that one. The latest Italian JC must not be so good as he rarely plays. The kid who starts (6’7”) is decent but he alone is not enough. His backup (6’8”) is ok I guess but that’s about it. Eisner says it’s unlikely they’ll be on the court together because of the teams style of play. So that pretty much means one tall and four not tall all the time. I don’t know a lot. In do know that what is being done isn’t working. Eisner wants to build teams around three point shooting. The three revolutionized the game but you live and die by it. It of course suffers when you have limited alternatives to keep the defense in check at the perimeter. Basing your whole game around short guys who you think can shoot will work at times when they are hot but it’s not a recipe for long term success. Limited post season performance of the program since Eisner arrived is a testament to that.

[vikingfaithful]

It seems that the Warriors have been vertically challenged for 3-4 years. What is the root of this problem?

[DapperDan]

ha. I’d be surprised if any of them give more than zero F’s about what fans say here :) What I meant was, even though you guys had said you were missing size, I was still shocked at how little the lineup was. I should have known from all the noise previously…

Yea I know. We are on the same page about what they care of the MB. Nor should they. If we were coaches we would all be battling for last place. Except maybe Coach.

[Purple Mav Man]

And BTW it does not appear Eisner and Co. give a crap what we want on this site, or they can’t recruit impacting size even if they do.

ha. I’d be surprised if any of them give more than zero F’s about what fans say here :) What I meant was, even though you guys had said you were missing size, I was still shocked at how little the lineup was. I should have known from all the noise previously…

[DapperDan]

Even with all the clamoring for a big the Winona fans have done on here the past few years, I was still surprised how ‘little’ their lineup was/is. Scrappy for sure, and fun to watch. They lead 18-5 with 12:00 to go in the first half. But you’re right, scrappy doesn’t quite finish out games and their lack of any size ends up hurting.

Of course, they’ll have nights when the shoot 50%+ from 3 and blow teams out. But that’ll be the exception.

And BTW it does not appear Eisner and Co. give a crap what we want on this site, or they can’t recruit impacting size even if they do.

[mosofan1]

Mustangs are playing a nonconference game on the last day before Christmas break....Dec 19 against Northland. Here's the kicker.....opening tip is scheduled for 11:30 am Monday. Heard there have been discussions about letting elementary school kids in for free. Would likely make for a unique environment, and probably a nice free advertisement for the team to get additional interest in Mini Mustangs program.

MOSO has done that a few times. Played UIU in one of those with a 12:00 Tipoff. The ladies did it this year in mid-November.

[DapperDan]

Even with all the clamoring for a big the Winona fans have done on here the past few years, I was still surprised how ‘little’ their lineup was/is. Scrappy for sure, and fun to watch. They lead 18-5 with 12:00 to go in the first half. But you’re right, scrappy doesn’t quite finish out games and their lack of any size ends up hurting.

Of course, they’ll have nights when the shoot 50%+ from 3 and blow teams out. But that’ll be the exception.

that has always been the case with Eisner. He wants a team that scores big from behind the line and that’s great on nights they fall but a lot of nights they don’t and then you need a backup. He has had some tough luck with bigs who get hurt and end up not contributing but, in general, they just don’t have a knack for attracting size that can play. Gets frustrating.

[Purple Mav Man]

Mankato is the better team. Winona had them back on their heals early but the game is as much a marathon as a sprint. Sort of followed the format of the Upper Iowa game.except it took UI until the last shot to overcome a large deficit. Winona is just too undersized. Only put one player exhibiting any resemblance to a big on the floor at any given time, with rest being short guards. Luke Martens, at 6’4”, punches above his weight but still. The guards are scrappy and talented but it’s not enough. Looks to me like .500 or a little better on the year. More mediocrity in the Eisner/Malvik era.

Even with all the clamoring for a big the Winona fans have done on here the past few years, I was still surprised how ‘little’ their lineup was/is. Scrappy for sure, and fun to watch. They lead 18-5 with 12:00 to go in the first half. But you’re right, scrappy doesn’t quite finish out games and their lack of any size ends up hurting.

Of course, they’ll have nights when the shoot 50%+ from 3 and blow teams out. But that’ll be the exception.

[DapperDan]

Decent road win for the Mavs at Winona this evening sans The Kreature.

Oh and you can also blame poor free throw shooting on last nights loss. 9 for 16 and lose by three at home. Come on.

[DapperDan]

Decent road win for the Mavs at Winona this evening sans The Kreature.

Mankato is the better team. Winona had them back on their heals early but the game is as much a marathon as a sprint. Sort of followed the format of the Upper Iowa game.except it took UI until the last shot to overcome a large deficit. Winona is just too undersized. Only put one player exhibiting any resemblance to a big on the floor at any given time, with rest being short guards. Luke Martens, at 6’4”, punches above his weight but still. The guards are scrappy and talented but it’s not enough. Looks to me like .500 or a little better on the year. More mediocrity in the Eisner/Malvik era.