Seven teams still in the hunt for a berth in the more important UMAC Tournament
ST. PAUL -- With the final two weekends of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference’s (UMAC) men’s basketball double round-robin schedule ahead, seven of the league’s eight teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the four-team conference postseason tournament. Earning a bid to the UMAC Tournament means much more in 2011, as, for the first time in the conference’s history, a tournament champion will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Northwestern College heads into this weekend’s action atop the UMAC standings with a 9-1 league record and is the only team to have secured a berth in the postseason tournament. The Eagles, who have won eight straight games, will host Presentation College and the University of Minnesota, Morris on Friday and Saturday.
Presentation is one of two teams with a 3-7 league record. The Saints, who are coming off of a 96-80 victory over Martin Luther College last Saturday, could be the Nos. 3 or 4 seeds or not make the postseason tournament at all. Presentation’s Channing Coffey currently leads the league in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
At 8-2 in the conference, Minnesota, Morris is the only team to have beaten Northwestern. The Cougars need one more win to secure a berth in the postseason tournament and could earn at least a share of the UMAC championship and be the tournament’s No. 1 seed if they win all four of their remaining league games. Morris heads into this weekend’s competition with a six-game winning streak.
Crown College is the other team who will see Presentation and Minnesota, Morris this weekend, playing them on the opposite days as Northwestern. The Storm is the other UMAC squad with a 3-7 conference record, and will need wins this weekend to stay in the hunt. Crown has thrived on its shots from outside the three-point arc, where the Storm has made 40 percent of their attempts in league contests.
The other four UMAC games this weekend will take place in south-central Minnesota, where Bethany Lutheran College and Martin Luther will host Northland College and the College of St. Scholastica. The Vikings from Bethany are currently tied for third place in the UMAC standings with a 6-4 conference record. Head coach Rick Jeddeloh’s team went 5-2 in the month of January, but have cooled off since.
St. Scholastica, who will play Bethany Lutheran in Mankato, Minn. on Saturday, is the other team tied for third at 6-4 and is still technically eligible for any of the four seeds in the conference tournament. The Saints have struggled to find consistency, having won every second UMAC contest they’ve played in for the last three weeks. Brett Tester has been a bright spot on St. Scholastica’s roster this year, having averaged 16.4 points per game in league play.
With a 4-6 UMAC record, Martin Luther still has a chance to earn the second, third or fourth seeds in the conference tournament or not make the postseason at all. The Knights are riding the coattails of the Holzhueter brothers, Greg and Galen. Galen Holzhueter is second in the conference with 16.5 points per game, while the older Greg Holzhueter is right behind his brother at 15.1 points per contest while averaging 5.1 assists per game.
Northland will face Bethany Lutheran on Friday before heading west to face Martin Luther in New Ulm, Minn. on Saturday. At 1-9 in conference play, the LumberJacks have been eliminated from UMAC postseason tournament contention, but can still certainly play a spoiler role in their remaining games. Northland, who has been stung by injuries this season, boasts Zeb Woiak, who is second in the league with 7.2 rebounds per game.
After Friday and Saturday’s matchups, all eight teams will play one more set of back-to-back games on February 18 and 19 to determine the final seeding for the UMAC Tournament. The first round of the postseason event will be hosted by the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds on Wednesday, February 23 before a tournament champion and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament will be awarded after the finale on Saturday, February 26.
This Weekend’s UMAC Schedule
Friday, February 11
Presentation at Northwestern, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota-Morris at Crown, 7:30 p.m.
St. Scholastica at Martin Luther, 7:30 p.m.
Northland at Bethany Lutheran, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 12
Minnesota-Morris at Northwestern, 5 p.m.
Presentation at Crown, 5 p.m.
Northland at Martin Luther, 5 p.m.
St. Scholastica at Bethany Lutheran, 5 p.m.
UMAC Men’s Basketball Standings
|
School
|
UMAC
|
Overall
|
|
Northwestern
|
9-1
|
15-6
|
|
Minnesota-Morris
|
8-2
|
12-9
|
|
Bethany Lutheran
|
6-4
|
9-11
|
|
St. Scholastica
|
6-4
|
9-12
|
|
Martin Luther
|
4-6
|
5-14
|
|
Presentation
|
3-7
|
6-15
|
|
Crown
|
3-7
|
3-17
|
|
Northland
|
1-9
|
3-18
|