Mark Privratsky
In the preseason I made a general prediction of where the MN NSIC teams would be in the tiers of Conference. St Cloud was one of the "So you're saying there's a chance?" squads, and boy did they take their chance. Credit to an incredible leap forward from the Huskies, who didn't make the NSIC Tournament last year, and now are the #2 ranked squad in the Central Region with the posibility of an At Large bid to the NCAAs. Two weeks from now, the Division 2 NCAA Tournament will kick off all around the Country, and five Minnesota squads, including the rising Huskies, still have a chance of being there. St Cloud State enters the playoffs as the (surprise?) Northern Sun Regular Season Champs with MN State Mankato just behind them by a point. 4th place Bemidji State finished just 3 points ahead of 7th place Concordia St Paul in a tough middle of the table fight, and UMD just beat out Southwest MN State and Wayne for the 8th and final postseason spot. With the playoffs starting Monday, November 6th, we’ll dig into the D2 Minnesota squads NCAA chances, and set up the matchups for the ‘23 NSIC Tournament. Lastly, thanks to St Cloud State and the NSIC, you can hear Matt and Mark Privratsky on the call for the St Cloud State v UMD game this Monday at 2pm (and potentially more to come?) on the NSIC Network App or NSICNetwork.com.
NCAA Tournament Chances
2023 NSIC Tournament
The NSIC Tournament kicks off this Monday, November 6 on the NSIC Network and at 4 home sites around the Conference. St Cloud hosts UMD at 2pm, Bemidji hosts Augustana at 3pm, MN State Mankato hosts Concordia St Paul at 3pm, and Northern State hosts U Mary at 4pm. All of these games are easily streamed at NSICNetwork.com or on the NSIC Network App. The four quarterfinal winners will face off on Friday, November 6 Semi Finals, with the Champion determined on Monday, November, 12th. We break down each Minnesota squad's below with their key players and best results from the '23 season. Place your bets on the number of Minnesota squads in the field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament (over/under 2.5?)
#1 St Cloud State Huskies
#2 MN State Mankato Mavericks
#4 Bemidji State Beavers
#7 Concordia St Paul Golden Bears
#8 UMD Bulldogs
ICYMI: Prep for the Playoffs with 2023 NSIC Interviews
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Mark Privratsky The 2023 Season started with over 120 Minnesotans playing D1. Of those, 12 lucky (or not?) players from Minnesota have ended their regular season as Conference Champs, which reminds us how hard it is for most teams to win trophies. With the exception of Clare Gagne and the Brown 4 peat in the Ivy League, you can't expect to be on top year after year. This year we have Champions from Lipscomb, Nebraska, UW Milwaukee, Brown, Drake, Army and Denver, with plenty of local rivals eager to knock them off in the upcoming playoffs. Will South Dakota State get revenge on Denver and go back to the Tournament? Can Brown make a historic run after the 4 peat? Will Drake or UNI's MN squad reign supreme in the Missouri Valley? As always, ESPN+ and the Summit League Network are your best friends for catching D1 Minnesotans, with BTN+ and big BTN showing plenty as well. We focused on playoffs that are easily watchable and with the most Minnesotans who contribute, so there will be some players missed! Atlantic Sun Conference Champs: Lipscomb (Lydia Hindt)Big Ten Conference Champs: Nebraska (Lauren Buzzell)Horizon League Champs: UW Milwaukee (Clara Broecher, Alyssa Marceau)Ivy League Champs: Brown (Clare Gagne)Missouri Valley Champs: Drake (Delaney Goertzen, Brooke Davies, Angela Gutierrez)Patriot League Champs: Army (Jordan Hecht, Hannah Pohlidal)Summit League Champs: Denver (Shay Payne, Megan Prazich)Conference Playoff Games to Watch
Mark Privratsky The regular season is nearly done and we've got Minnesotans fighting for Conference crowns. In the Summit League, Megan Prazich and Denver look read to win the title unless SDSU can catch them with help from their Dakota rivals. South Dakota is likely safely in the playoffs, but North Dakota, St Thomas and NDSU will have to scrap for a final birth in the postseason as they sit outside the top 6. In the Missouri Valley, Drake sits in 1st off more Angela Gutierrez contributions and UNI's Minnesota 5 is hoping for a miracle comeback. In the Horizon League, Clara Broecker and UW Milwaukee are rolling with a 6 point lead in the final weekend. Catch up on 120+ Minnesotans playing D1 and stay tuned for postseason coverage! Megan Prazich anchors Denver Defense towards Summit League TitleDenver are the one Summit League team left unbeaten, and if you’ve watched some of their games, you may have noticed a Megan Prazich sized reason why. The Maple Grove native has locked in a spot in Center defense and has only sat out 12 minutes all season, holding down a Denver squad that has given up just 4 goals in 6 Summit League games. Denver play at North Dakota State on Thursday, Oct 19 and at North Dakota, Sunday October 22. Both of those squads have an outside chance of postseason play and will be desperate for points. Denver has to win both games, or hope that South Dakota State also drops points, as they sit 4 points back with 1 game in hand. SDSU needs rivals help for Summit League crown, South Dakota looking safe bet for PlayoffsIt comes down to Denver and South Dakota State. South Dakota State need Denver to drop points against UND and NDSU, while the Jacks also win out their remaining games at Oral Roberts, at Kansas City, and vs Omaha at home, Tues Oct 24. If Denver does drop points this weekend, SDSU will be in control, as the 24th is a make up game from earlier this fall, so they will know if they have a chance. South Dakota is comfortably in the playoffs coming into the final weekend, sitting in 3rd and ahead UND, St Thomas and NDSU. |
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January 2024
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