Tommies Blog: St. Thomas Seeks 9th Playoff Title In 11 Years
It's championship week across Division III basketball. League playoff tournaments are going on across the country, and the teams that prevail this weekend not only get to hoist some hardware, they get an automatic bid to March Madness.
The St. Thomas men's basketball team enters the MIAC Playoffs Friday night all but guaranteed a spot in the postseason, regardless of how its own tournament goes. The Tommies won their 11th straight regular season title this year. They've won eight of the past 10 titles in the MIAC Playoffs.
Barring a mass of upsets this weekend, St. Thomas is likely to host a first round regional in the NCAA Tournament. The Tommies have been ranked in the top 10 all year and are currently No. 1 in the West Region rankings at 23-2. They won the MIAC regular season by four games with an 18-2 record. That's unprecedented in a league that prides itself in parity and balance. Their two losses this year? To Carleton and Augsburg, one of which was a MIAC playoff team.
St. Thomas will host Bethel at 7 p.m. Friday in what should be an electric atmosphere for a MIAC Playoff semifinal. The winner advances to the league title game, and that winner earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs from the MIAC. The Tommies won both regular season meetings against the Royals this year, 69-66 in St. Paul and 75-59 at Bethel. The victory at Bethel locked up the regular season title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
On the other side of the bracket, St. John's beat Augsburg 99-86 Wednesday night and travels to Northfield Friday night to face No. 2 seed St. Olaf. That winner advances to Sunday's title game.
Given the season St. Thomas has had and the track record for the Tommies the last decade, it's hard for them not to have confidence with what's to come.
"Nobody thought we would win the MIAC by four games. Our consistency over the last 11 years has been one of the hallmarks of our program," coach John Tauer said.
Of the Tommies' 23 wins this year, nine are against regionally ranked teams. That's the most of any program in the country, and it bodes well for their NCAA Tournament resume in the event they're not celebrating the MIAC Playoff title on Sunday.
"I like where we're at. We couldn't have done much more," Tauer said.
That said, the goal remains to win the playoff championship and not have to worry about much else. The Tommies are winning this season largely by playing lockdown defense and getting quality looks at the basket.
It's been a bit of a different approach this year. In past seasons, Tauer has been all about pressuring the ball on defense, forcing turnovers with a press and scoring in transition whenever possible. This year, St. Thomas has had a bit more methodical approach. The Tommies are scoring more in the half-court and not necessarily taking the first open look.
The result is scoring more than 77 points per game and beating opponents, on average, by about 11 points per game. The Tommies are shooting better than 50 percent from the field for the season, including 39.5 percent from three-point range. They're limiting opponents to about 66 points per game and 44 percent shooting.
"It's by design. We pick our spots and we're not pressuring as much. Our offensive efficiency is right there with the best teams in the country. We've been really efficient," Tauer said.
If the seeds hold, St. Thomas would host St. Olaf for the MIAC title on Sunday and it would create an interesting match-up. The Tommies have won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Oles, though many of them have been close games. The last St. Olaf victory? Two years ago in the MIAC title game.
The Tommies are balanced, with four starters scoring in double figures. Three of those are seniors in guards Cortez Tillman (14.4 points per game), Taylor Montero (14.3) and forward Ryan Saarela (12.4). Junior guard Grant Schaeffer scores 13.6 points per game.
Schaeffer and Tillman have become one of the more dynamic backcourts in the country with their ability both to score and distribute.
"I'm biased but that's as good a backcourt as you'll ever find," Tauer said.
In the playoffs, anything can happen and the unexpected often becomes the norm. That's why earning the top seed and having home court should be a big advantage for St. Thomas. But with what's at stake, Tauer will have his team ready on any court in any stage. It's now the time of year where with a loss comes finality, that a season could be over after all the hard work that started since the previous season ended.
"In every conference it's a special time of year. It's about which team can play in an intense atmosphere. Nothing really changes in terms of the teams and the match-ups, it's more about what you can do in the big moment and who can execute the best," Tauer said.
