Men’s basketball battled hard to earn the MIAC’s top spot

The men’s basketball team went three-for-three over the last couple weeks, beating the MIAC’s very best in a triplet of hard-fought contests.

First, the Gusties beat St. Thomas 82-77 in an overtime thriller on January 28, 2012, a solid response to the 18-point loss the Gusties suffered to the Tommies earlier in the year.

Two days later, the Gusties defeated Augsburg in a 10-point victory, thanks largely to their hot shooting (56 percent from the field, 63.6 percent from 3-point range).

Then, on Feb. 1, they edged out St. Olaf in a narrow 64-63 victory to solidify their top spot in the MIAC.

“This was a tough, physically and mentally-difficult week, and it’s nice to have been successful in it,” Head Coach Mark Hanson said. “We are going to practice a couple days and take a couple days off so we can get our legs back a bit and be ready for the last couple weeks.”

“Coming into this game we had two big wins [including one] on the road, but that didn’t matter because St. Olaf was one game behind us [in the conference standings], and we needed this win,” Senior Guard Seth Anderson said after the win against St. Olaf.  “We knew this was going to be a big game.  They pounded us earlier in the year and we owed them a little payback.”

Its easy to chalk up this year’s success to the incredible play of Seth Anderson, the scoring machine who is averaging a MIAC-leading 23.9 points per game, but Anderson is usually the first to tell you that each game, win or lose, is an absolute team effort.  And while Anderson’s play has been invaluable, the team’s depth, versatility and coaching are also key factors to the Gusties’ success.

Nine players log 15 minutes or more per game, including five post players who rotate in-and-out regularly, keeping their legs fresh late into games.

Seniors Paul Blacklock and Reed Sallstrom provide a physical presence in the blocks, and average a combined 8.7 rebounds per game. Senior Bobby Johnson was arguably the team’s most physical post last year, but has been limited this year due to an ACL tear. Despite the injury, Johnson logged some critical minutes in the Jan. 28, 2012 victory over St. Thomas.

Senior Adam Michel and Juniors Jim Hill and Blake Shay have the size and physicality of post players, but can also hit outside shots or drive to the rim when playing the forward positions.

Head Coach Mark Hanson runs a motion-based offense with few set plays. It’s easy to see the patience in each possession, and that patience usually leads to quality shot selection. That disciplined decision making undoubtedly contributes to the Gusties’ MIAC-best shooting percentage of .495.

The Gusties have a pair of home games left on the schedule, first against Macalaster at 3:00 p.m. this Saturday Feb. 11, and then against Bethel at 3:00 p.m. on Feb. 18.  The Gusties currently hold a half game advantage over St. Thomas, and could lock up the #1 seed for the playoffs with a strong finish.