Way-Too-Early Predictions for 2023-2024 NSIC Season

[Moorhead123]

So now that MSUM has added 5 transfers for this upcoming season, would you rank the Dragons higher then 6th in your original assessment?

Yes, I will likely move them a bit higher. It’s just so hard to really know how good all the new guys are or are not. I think msum has three really good returners in Beeninga, Zimmer an Kinsey (watch out for him this year). Myren could also be good if healthy. After that there are a lot of questions. I think the coaches are good at evaluating talent so I assume the new guys can play, but you never know. I could see msum struggle a bit early, but potentially be really good in the second half once they get a rotation going. On paper the front court is much bigger and stronger. Can msum replace Baumgartner and McGhee in the backcourt. If they can then msum will likely challenge again this year. Veteran leadership is always hard to replace. Good teams have more than just good players. There are intangibles that msum had in spades the past few years. They need the next crew to be good players and also possess the intangibles that winning teams have and develop over time. Last season and second half of the prior season were right up there with some of the best msum basketball in program history. Bar has definitely been raised, so looking forward to seeing what this next group can do.

[Purple Mav Man]

Schedules look a little different this year without the Peacocks involved.

[vikingfaithful]

Schedules look a little different this year without the Peacocks involved.

Peacocks play in Aberdeen also against CSP and SMSU so the birds will still be around before Xmas. Wil miss their Men's BB program, no more feisty Duax's.,

[Purple Mav Man]

Peacocks play in Aberdeen also against CSP and SMSU so the birds will still be around before Xmas. Wil miss their Men's BB program, no more feisty Duax's.,

Yes, they still play a few conference teams, but now the conference schedule isn’t a solid run of Friday/Saturday games. At least for the Mavs anyway.

[Stanger86]

Yes, they still play a few conference teams, but now the conference schedule isn’t a solid run of Friday/Saturday games. At least for the Mavs anyway.

Yeah it seems like the Fri/Sat travel partners are still in place for some matchups, but the road team might only one game in a week, for SMSU at least. We have a week where our only game is a trip to Crookston. Sioux Falls plays Crookston the next day. (Mankato has a similar setup with its Northern trip).

There are also a few like how volleyball does it sometimes, where SMSU will host USF on Thursday but travel to Augie on Saturday. Mankato has this with Winona and CSP.

[Purple Mav Man]

Yeah it seems like the Fri/Sat travel partners are still in place for some matchups, but the road team might only one game in a week, for SMSU at least. We have a week where our only game is a trip to Crookston. Sioux Falls plays Crookston the next day. (Mankato has a similar setup with its Northern trip).

There are also a few like how volleyball does it sometimes, where SMSU will host USF on Thursday but travel to Augie on Saturday. Mankato has this with Winona and CSP.

Agree. It appears that none of the schools simply removed UIU from the schedule. I know MSU completely redid theirs from talking to KB. And it appears others, SMSU included, did too. I like it.