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Post by yotemeal on Dec 6, 2012 9:35:52 GMT -6
Summit League Preseason poll:
1. SDSU 2. NDSU 3. Oakland 4. WIU 5. IUPUI 6. IPFW 7. UMKC 8. USD 9. UNO
Current Summit Standings:
Western Illinois 2-0, 6-3 North Dakota State 1-0, 7-2 South Dakota State 1-0, 6-3 UMKC 1-1, 4-4 South Dakota 1-1, 4-5 IPFW 0-0, 5-5 Oakland 0-0, 2-6 IUPUI 0-2, 3-7 Nebraska Omaha 0-2, 2-8
Obviously, the standings will shift significantly once league play fully kicks off. A couple of observations (and my personal rankings):
1) NDSU is playing really well, maybe better than any team in the league.
2) WIU has a dangerous 1-2 punch, but they're beatable, as we've already seen. I don't think it takes an A+ performance to beat them, unlike some of the past Summit League favorites.
3) SDSU is not playing with a lot of confidence. I think they miss the gritty leadership of Callahan. Their hopes rest on Nate Wolters' shoulders and now-tender ankle. They're not playing like the overwhelming favorite to win the league.
4) Oakland took an 8-1 Pitt team to overtime and lost. That was a flash, but they've otherwise come up short, sometimes significantly, in a difficult non-conference schedule (Michigan State, Tennessee, Boise, etc.) that opened with one home cupcake and seven consecutive road games. They'll be dangerous in conference play, but it's tough to rank them.
5) USD's schedule, sans the very first game, has played out about how one should expect. #10 Gonzaga, Wyoming and Iowa have a combined record of 25-2. We lost in heart-breaking fashion to WIU and took care of business against IUPUI. The pieces on this year's team are better than those from last season (chemistry still developing), and the Summit, overall, is a bit down from last year.
6/7) UMKC/IPFW. I haven't watched IPFW play this season, but they've hung close with some good teams before fading down the stretch, resulting in double-digit losses. I watched UMKC play and win @ UND last night (UND missed 5,000 free throws), and I think they'll be a tough out. I think UMKC, IPFW and USD could play musical chairs at 5,6,7, but I'm giving the Yotes the benefit of the doubt.
8) IUPUI is awful, or at least they're playing that way right now. The only thing they have to feel good about is the cellar safety net called Omaha. They've lost their last three games by margins of 14, 20 and 32.
9) Speaking of Omaha, I think they're unquestionably the worst team in the league. They've remarkably put forth respectable efforts against SDSU and a surprising Huskers squad, but they can't be considered serious contenders.
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Dec 6, 2012 10:22:09 GMT -6
If we can stay in the middle of the pack, that will be huge for seeding in the Summit tourney. If we can have hot shooting, strong interior defense from Flack and Gruis, and good ball control we can make a run in the Arena. That is everything. In some respects, as an FCS school, nothing is more fruitful than getting into the Big Dance. There is no larger stage to be on.
As much as i would prefer a FCS National Championship in football, the benefit to having USD stamped on hundreds of millions of brackets is still more valuable from a marketing stand point.
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Post by yotemeal on Dec 6, 2012 10:56:59 GMT -6
If we can stay in the middle of the pack, that will be huge for seeding in the Summit tourney. If we can have hot shooting, strong interior defense from Flack and Gruis, and good ball control we can make a run in the Arena. That is everything. In some respects, as an FCS school, nothing is more fruitful than getting into the Big Dance. There is no larger stage to be on. As much as i would prefer a FCS National Championship in football, the benefit to having USD stamped on hundreds of millions of brackets is still more valuable from a marketing stand point. That's not even debatable, and I seriously like our chances, at least a lot more than I would've had we competed in the last couple of SLTs. We'll have a decided home-court advantage against anyone except SDSU, and there is no team in the league this year that sticks out as an insurmountable mismatch from an athletic point of view, unlike some of the previous Oakland and ORU squads.
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Dec 6, 2012 11:56:01 GMT -6
Summit League Preseason poll: 1. SDSU 2. NDSU 3. Oakland 4. WIU 5. IUPUI 6. IPFW 7. UMKC 8. USD 9. UNO Current Summit Standings: Western Illinois 2-0, 6-3 North Dakota State 1-0, 7-2 South Dakota State 1-0, 6-3 UMKC 1-1, 4-4 South Dakota 1-1, 4-5 IPFW 0-0, 5-5 Oakland 0-0, 2-6 IUPUI 0-2, 3-7 Nebraska Omaha 0-2, 2-8 Obviously, the standings will shift significantly once league play fully kicks off. A couple of observations (and my personal rankings): 1) NDSU is playing really well, maybe better than any team in the league. 2) WIU has a dangerous 1-2 punch, but they're beatable, as we've already seen. I don't think it takes an A+ performance to beat them, unlike some of the past Summit League favorites. 3) SDSU is not playing with a lot of confidence. I think they miss the gritty leadership of Callahan. Their hopes rest on Nate Wolters' shoulders and now-tender ankle. They're not playing like the overwhelming favorite to win the league. 4) Oakland took an 8-1 Pitt team to overtime and lost. That was a flash, but they've otherwise come up short, sometimes significantly, in a difficult non-conference schedule (Michigan State, Tennessee, Boise, etc.) that opened with one home cupcake and seven consecutive road games. They'll be dangerous in conference play, but it's tough to rank them. 5) USD's schedule, sans the very first game, has played out about how one should expect. #10 Gonzaga, Wyoming and Iowa have a combined record of 25-2. We lost in heart-breaking fashion to WIU and took care of business against IUPUI. The pieces on this year's team are better than those from last season (chemistry still developing), and the Summit, overall, is a bit down from last year. 6/7) UMKC/IPFW. I haven't watched IPFW play this season, but they've hung close with some good teams before fading down the stretch, resulting in double-digit losses. I watched UMKC play and win @ UND last night (UND missed 5,000 free throws), and I think they'll be a tough out. I think UMKC, IPFW and USD could play musical chairs at 5,6,7, but I'm giving the Yotes the benefit of the doubt. 8) IUPUI is awful, or at least they're playing that way right now. The only thing they have to feel good about is the cellar safety net called Omaha. They've lost their last three games by margins of 14, 20 and 32. 9) Speaking of Omaha, I think they're unquestionably the worst team in the league. They've remarkably put forth respectable efforts against SDSU and a surprising Huskers squad, but they can't be considered serious contenders. Pretty good description of things right now yotemeal. Thanks!
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Post by mraugustana on Dec 14, 2012 8:55:07 GMT -6
As an Augie fan, I haven't seen many of USD's games this season, but I did have a chance to watch most of the Gonzaga game and a little bit of one other game (can't remember which one though).
If I were a USD fan, I would be really excited about Tyler Flack. This will come off as more arrogant than it seems (and I'm sure a few fans will get defensive), but there aren't a ton of guys on your roster who made me think, "Augie would noticeably better with a kid like this on our team," but I thought both times I saw him that Flack would and will continue to be that kind of player for the Coyotes. I'll be surprised if he's not one of the top players in the Summit League by his senior year.
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chuck
Sophomore Member
Posts: 169
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Post by chuck on Dec 18, 2012 20:36:15 GMT -6
Sorry to be "that guy", but I am watching Augie-USF on Midco and have to call BS on this post. I highly doubt any Augie kids had any serious D1 interest. There is a reason that they are at Augie and not USD, NDSU, SDSU, etc. D2 is good ball and I am enjoying this game, but let's keep it in perspective. As an Augie fan, I haven't seen many of USD's games this season, but I did have a chance to watch most of the Gonzaga game and a little bit of one other game (can't remember which one though). If I were a USD fan, I would be really excited about Tyler Flack. This will come off as more arrogant than it seems (and I'm sure a few fans will get defensive), but there aren't a ton of guys on your roster who made me think, "Augie would noticeably better with a kid like this on our team," but I thought both times I saw him that Flack would and will continue to be that kind of player for the Coyotes. I'll be surprised if he's not one of the top players in the Summit League by his senior year.
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chuck
Sophomore Member
Posts: 169
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Post by chuck on Dec 18, 2012 20:36:36 GMT -6
Sorry to be "that guy", but I am watching Augie-USF on Midco and have to call BS on this post. I highly doubt any Augie kids had any serious D1 interest. There is a reason that they are at Augie and not USD, NDSU, SDSU, etc. D2 is good ball and I am enjoying this game, but let's keep it in perspective. As an Augie fan, I haven't seen many of USD's games this season, but I did have a chance to watch most of the Gonzaga game and a little bit of one other game (can't remember which one though). If I were a USD fan, I would be really excited about Tyler Flack. This will come off as more arrogant than it seems (and I'm sure a few fans will get defensive), but there aren't a ton of guys on your roster who made me think, "Augie would noticeably better with a kid like this on our team," but I thought both times I saw him that Flack would and will continue to be that kind of player for the Coyotes. I'll be surprised if he's not one of the top players in the Summit League by his senior year.
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jackjd
Senior Member
Posts: 656
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Post by jackjd on Dec 18, 2012 22:40:36 GMT -6
Sorry to be "that guy", but I am watching Augie-USF on Midco and have to call BS on this post. I highly doubt any Augie kids had any serious D1 interest. There is a reason that they are at Augie and not USD, NDSU, SDSU, etc. D2 is good ball and I am enjoying this game, but let's keep it in perspective. As an Augie fan, I haven't seen many of USD's games this season, but I did have a chance to watch most of the Gonzaga game and a little bit of one other game (can't remember which one though). If I were a USD fan, I would be really excited about Tyler Flack. This will come off as more arrogant than it seems (and I'm sure a few fans will get defensive), but there aren't a ton of guys on your roster who made me think, "Augie would noticeably better with a kid like this on our team," but I thought both times I saw him that Flack would and will continue to be that kind of player for the Coyotes. I'll be surprised if he's not one of the top players in the Summit League by his senior year. I’m with Chuck and glad to see he threw a “BS” flag on MrAugustana’s post. I, like Chuck, took a look at the USF/Augie replay on TV. I have watched USD play a few times this season. Flack has a great future. So does Kasperbauer. Gruis is a good player in the Summit League and would be a dominating player at Augie. One could go on. Bottom line: MrAugie doesn't get it.
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Dec 19, 2012 21:24:38 GMT -6
Good win
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Post by azsod73 on Dec 20, 2012 13:52:46 GMT -6
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Post by mraugustana on Jan 5, 2013 17:12:09 GMT -6
Sorry to be "that guy", but I am watching Augie-USF on Midco and have to call BS on this post. I highly doubt any Augie kids had any serious D1 interest. There is a reason that they are at Augie and not USD, NDSU, SDSU, etc. D2 is good ball and I am enjoying this game, but let's keep it in perspective. Went awhile without checking USD's board (as I obviously don't have a ton of reason to spend time on here). First of all, it's funny that I come on and compliment one of USD's players and apparently get mocked and insulted for it. No wonder this board has about 4 fans who consistently post on it. Anyway, I'm sure all of those guys would be solid players in the NSIC, but it's not like most of those players had major D1s breaking down their doors with scholarship offers. You guys are up 20 on SDSU right now, which is great, but you're acting as if USD isn't a 6-10 team right now with wins against several teams that are average at best. Anyway, I can't sit there and say all of Augie's players are D1 caliber players, as I'm not that naive. I will say that Augie's two starting big men, Zach Huisken and Dan Jansen, both had D1 offers (Zach was offered by SDSU, Northern Iowa, Drake...oh, and USD according to a few sites...not sure if there were others...and Jansen was offered by UNO, Albany, and I believe Tulane if I was told correctly, but I don't have a source to back that up). Also, if you guys don't think McCaffrey (who had 36 points against USF) wouldn't get minutes at USD--especially this year--I find it hard to believe you watched much of the USF game as you mentioned. All I was saying is that I'm not exactly insanely jealous of several of the players on your mediocre 6-10 basketball team, but Flack looks like he has the tools and potential to be a big time player for you guys. Good luck against the Jackrabbits. Even with this pleasant message board convo we're having, I still prefer to see SDSU lose over USD.
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Post by mraugustana on Jan 5, 2013 17:22:11 GMT -6
Sorry to be "that guy", but I am watching Augie-USF on Midco and have to call BS on this post. I highly doubt any Augie kids had any serious D1 interest. There is a reason that they are at Augie and not USD, NDSU, SDSU, etc. D2 is good ball and I am enjoying this game, but let's keep it in perspective. I’m with Chuck and glad to see he threw a “BS” flag on MrAugustana’s post. I, like Chuck, took a look at the USF/Augie replay on TV. I have watched USD play a few times this season. Flack has a great future. So does Kasperbauer. Gruis is a good player in the Summit League and would be a dominating player at Augie. One could go on. Bottom line: MrAugie doesn't get it. Obviously we're going to disagree on things (and the odds are a little stacked against me as the only Augie fan on a Coyote message board), but to address your points, Flack is going to be very good (as I've said). Kasperbauer is definitely good too, I just didn't see much out of him during the Gonzaga game (which is the only USD game I've seen so far besides half of the Western Illinois game, I'll readily admit) that made me think he'd be an absolute stud at our level like Flack would be. I know he was the leading scorer against Gonzaga, but what I liked so much about Flack was his height combined with his athleticism. Just seemed like the kind of combo that would be hard to find in a D2-caliber player. As far as Gruis is concerned, he'd definitely be good at Augie (most 6'10" kids good enough to play D1 would be), but it's not like the NSIC is made up of kids who rode the bench in high school. If you're thinking Gruis would come in and average 25 ppg just because he's average at USD, you've got a much higher regard for your program than just about any non-Coyote fans or other sports analysts from this region seem to have. All in all, I get that you guys are D1 now and that automatically makes you exponentially better than any D2 team in the country, but I really don't think any one of your guys would make the dominant impact you'd like to think they would. Obviously all of those players together at the D2 level would be an extremely impressive team, but I simply meant that Flack would be a perfect fit on an Augie team that would do well to have a smooth, athletic 3/4 wingman like him.
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sleuth
Freshman Member
Posts: 55
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Post by sleuth on Jan 6, 2013 13:34:18 GMT -6
mraugustana i agree that Flack is very athletic and has a HUGE upside, but he has a long way to go to get there. Offensively besides the occasional dunk he really hasnt learned to create his own shot, but that will change in the off season no doubt. To say that gruis is average i would say is a little under statement. he doesnt draw all the double teams that he does by being average. By no means is he an all-american but i would call him slightly better than average. Its hard to stand out when you play in a system that wants their guards to do everything and also give their big man half the touches he needs. Not saying he needs to shoot but he has very good floor sight and will hit the open guy. I would also say that if you put a guy like Rowson on the augustana ball team and he would make a big difference. I would also say that myles would contribute alot as well. I am gonna throw brandon bos in the mix as well, he has been playing huge all season and is showing no signs of slowing down, the kid flat out makes plays. I am pretty confident that all 5 of these guys would make a huge impact on any nsic team.
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Post by wileycoyote on Jan 6, 2013 14:43:14 GMT -6
Ahhh Mr. Augustana..... Everyone is entitled to an opinion. My opinion is: Although several Augie players had D1 one offers or looks it means nothing until they actually accept and ACTUALLY PLAY at that level. I watch Augie and know that those players would not be getting alot of minutes even at the mediocore USD. This includes past players. I think you are still riding on the high of playing the Gophers and "almost winning" that exhibition game. Remember that is an exhibition game, a practice for the Gophers. Even you should know that. Your direct quote "Good luck against the Jackrabbits. Even with this pleasant message board convo we're having, I still prefer to see SDSU lose over USD." Thanks for your well wishes, but your overall messages have been negative towards the Yotes, maybe its indirectly towards a certain player, at least that is the feeling I am getting.
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Post by mraugustana on Jan 6, 2013 14:44:00 GMT -6
mraugustana i agree that Flack is very athletic and has a HUGE upside, but he has a long way to go to get there. Offensively besides the occasional dunk he really hasnt learned to create his own shot, but that will change in the off season no doubt. To say that gruis is average i would say is a little under statement. he doesnt draw all the double teams that he does by being average. By no means is he an all-american but i would call him slightly better than average. Its hard to stand out when you play in a system that wants their guards to do everything and also give their big man half the touches he needs. Not saying he needs to shoot but he has very good floor sight and will hit the open guy. I would also say that if you put a guy like Rowson on the augustana ball team and he would make a big difference. I would also say that myles would contribute alot as well. I am gonna throw brandon bos in the mix as well, he has been playing huge all season and is showing no signs of slowing down, the kid flat out makes plays. I am pretty confident that all 5 of these guys would make a huge impact on any nsic team. I appreciate the response, sleuth. You're probably right on Gruis. I didn't exactly give him a fair shot (mostly because I haven't seen enough of his game), but my point was that even if he's solid at USD, he might not come in and dominate as implied by some of the other guys. I mean, two of the better players in the NSIC are guys who got/would have gotten quality minutes at Iowa (Anthony Tucker) and Iowa State (Clayton Vette), and those programs have slightly stronger credentials than USD. And even they have off nights at times because of the talent level on several NSIC teams. Like I said, Gruis would be good, he just might not come in and average 25 ppg simply because he currently plays for the Coyotes. I'm sure any and all of those players you mentioned would be good at Augie (or the NSIC in general), it just seems like the posters who responded to my first post might have higher opinions of USD's players than outsiders might. I never meant to imply that NOBODY on USD's roster would be good at Augie. I just meant that, from what I saw, Flack was one of the only players on the roster that made me think "Ooh, I wish we had that guy," mostly due to the fact that his style of play is harder to defend and match up against at the D2 level than traditional guards or posts are. Maybe I'll catch a few more games in the future and my opinion will change, but that's essentially all I meant with my initial post.
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