Tommies Blog: St. Thomas Embraces Role As Favorites In Playoffs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Most college basketball teams are fighting for their playoff lives at this point in the season. But for John Tauer and St. Thomas, this week is business as usual.
When a team wins as many MIAC titles as Tauer's Tommies have, expectations are higher than just hoping for a chance. You're expected to win. St. Thomas won its 10th straight MIAC regular season title this year with a 17-3 mark in league play.
The losses came at Gustavus, at Concordia (Moorhead) and a rare home loss to Bethel. Tauer's squad enters the MIAC Playoff with the No. 1 seed and home court. The Tommies earned a first-round bye and will host Gustavus, which won at St. John's Wednesday night, in the semifinals Friday night. St. Thomas lost its MIAC opener at Gustavus 68-65, then got even with a 64-52 home win in late January.
If the Tommies win Friday night, they host the MIAC Playoff title game Sunday afternoon. Tauer won't admit it publicly, but St. Thomas and St. Olaf (21-4) are locks for the NCAA Division III Tournament, especially if they meet for the title.
The Tommies and Oles are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the West Region, which goes a long way towards an at-large bid if either is upset in the playoffs. But the best and easiest way in is to earn the league's automatic bid.
"We like to be in this position," Tauer said. "It's a clean slate and our record is great, but that doesn't get any points on the board for us before Friday night. That's the beauty of March Madness, we play with a target on our back every night. We're very aware that we can be beat on any night if we don't bring our best game."
If history is any indication, St. Thomas is in good shape. The Tommies have won seven playoff titles in the last nine years. The last time they weren't the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs, they won the Division III national title in the 2010-11 season.
Now in his fourth full year leading St. Thomas, Tauer has compiled a 97-18 record. St. Thomas has 180 wins since 2008, which is the most for any college basketball program in Division III.
St. Thomas started the season 5-0, and after dropping its MIAC opener, won 16 straight league games. The Tommies also got a home win over UW-Steven's Point, currently ranked No. 4 in the country at 21-4.
It's the way St. Thomas goes about its business that makes the program impressive. The Tommies have a full-court press and use intense pressure on the ball to create turnovers. Their tempo on defense often translates into easy baskets on offense. They average about 14 assist on a little more than 28 made field goals per game.
St. Thomas is also one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country at nearly 44 percent. Their leading scorer: Marcus Alipate at 13.1 points per game. Four of their five starters average scoring in double figures, with two others right on the brink of double digits.
Tauer implemented the style of play, but said it's a collective effort among his coaching staff. The team includes Don Johnson, Mike Keating, Jay Pivec and John Hughes.
"We put a ton of time into recruiting. Our staff focused recruiting guys who will fit into our system and our school. We find the right kids and have the culture established. It's an expectation of excellence, Tauer said.
That isn't easy to do at the Division III level, where schools don't offer students scholarship money for athletics.
Even with an up-temp style, the Tommies take care of the basketball. They commit less than nine turnovers per game. They also play defense without fouling, averaging less than 13 personal fouls per contest in league play.
"We talk a lot about not committing silly fouls. Our guys have been really cognizant about not taking unnecessary chances," Tauer said.
St. Thomas will have home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and that's been a trend for the program in the last 10 years. The Tommies' last road playoff game was a loss at Gustavus in the 2005 MIAC title game.
Tauer said with this year's team, it's about playing together and playing for each other. In an era where players want to score at least 20 points in a game or hit the big shot, St. Thomas has had only six players score 20 or more in a game this year. It's a concept that's not easy for coaches to sell to college kids, but his players have bought in 100 percent.
"We recruit guys who know they're not going to score 20-plus points per game. The guys know they're going to get their shots, but we try to take great shots instead of good shots," Tauer said. The guys are focusing on being a part of something special. That's part of the package when they sign up."
The Tommies are hoping that approach will lead them to a deep NCAA Playoff run in March.
