Hamline had one last chance to earn a victory against St. Thomas at Schoenecker Arena, but the Pipers couldn't stop destiny. The Tommies breezed to an easy victory, capping just the second 20-0 march through the MIAC season. Hamline finished 0-30 at Schoenecker Arena, which is being torn down this summer to make way for a new 52 million dollar facility.

The Johnnies rolled to a 71-60 win over the Gusties to secure the No. 3 seed in the MIAC playoffs. St. John's led 35-22 at halftime and was never truly threatened by Gustavus, despite big games from Jesse Van Sickle (20 points) and Sam Paulson (17 and 13). The Johnnies had five in double figures, led by Aaron Burtzel's 15.

Tim Madson moved into fourth on Bethel's all-time scoring list in the 64-51 victory over Carleton. He scored 20, while Mike Moberg posted 16 points and 11 boards. Zach Johnson scored 23 for the Knights, who have lost four of their last five games.

The Cobbers went to overtime to drop the Oles. Darren Olmscheid paced Concordia with 18 points. St. Olaf's Mark Torell hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force an extra session.

St. Mary's shocked Augsburg to end first-year coach Todd Landrum's debut on a positive note. Will Wright and Lukas Holland combined for 45 points in the win.

Playoff Seedings
1. St. Thomas (20-0)
2. Bethel (14-6)
3. St. John's (12-8)
4. Augsburg (12-8)
5. Carleton (12-8)
6. Gustavus (11-9)

Monday's Games
#6 Gustavus at #3 St. John's
Split regular season series. Gustavus has lost three straight and four of its last five games at SJU. The Johnnies won seven of their last nine to nab the third seed.

#5 Carleton at #4 Augsburg
Split regular season series. The Auggies won the last meeting by 16 at Si Melby Hall, but both teams struggled to close the year. Carleton has lost four of five and Augsburg had dropped four of its last six, including a disappointing loss at St. Mary's to end the year.

UST rips rival SJU before a standing-room-only crowd to move within a game of perfection. Joe Scott scored 18 points in the win, while Aaron Burtzel had 10 for the Johnnies.

Augsburg freshman Ben Flavin poured in a career-high 22 points to key a surprisingly easy 70-54 victory over Carleton. Zach Johnson led the Knights with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Tim Madson ripped the net for 28 points to pace the Royals in their 87-72 victory over Gustavus. It's the first home win over the Gusties in 16 years.

St. Olaf defeated Macalester as the Scots finish the year winless for the first time in school history. Reserve Alfred Jaryan led the Oles with 17 points, five assists and five steals.

John Fraase dominated the paint to the tune of 31 points in a 77-64 win over Saint Mary's.

With just one game remaining in the regular season — except for Macalester, which is done — the fight for playoff positioning remains fierce. Bethel is in perfect position to claim second and the first-round bye, but the other four spots will come down to Saturday's finish.

Disclaimer: The last two links are PG-13. Funny, but not appropriate for everyone. View at your own risk.

Gustavus coach Mark Hanson seemed satisfied in his team's performance on the radio after Saturday's 13-point loss to top-ranked St. Thomas. While is may sound weird coming from a coach who rarely loses on its home court, it's also a telling statement about what the current Tommies have done to expectations around the league.

With two games remaining — which UST will be heavily favored in both — they are on the cusp of becoming the second MIAC team to ever run the table at 20-0. How have they done it? In a word, defense. Barring an implosion, the Tommies are about the join elite company — in the last 20 years, five St. Thomas teams have held opponents to under 60 PPG. The other 10 teams in the conference have combined for the same number during that span (2 Gustavus, 2 St. Olaf, 1 Carleton).

The Gusties fell just short of 60 in the 72-59 loss. They shot well below their season average and almost everyone I've talked to marveled at how St. Thomas was able to dictate the flow of the game. It made me wonder how this Tommie defense stacks up in a historical sense. As a starter on *the* best defensive team in MIAC history, I feel uniquely qualified to offer an assessment.

First, let's compare some numbers.

GAC 2003-04
(League rank listed first)
1st 54.0 PPG
1st +14.6 margin
1st 38.3% Opp FG
1st 30.2% Opp 3 pt
1st +2.9 rebounding
3rd 3.35 blocks
6th 8.40 steals
5th +1.30 turnover margin

UST 2008-09
1st 58.1 PPG
1st +21.7 margin
5th 43.1% Opp FG
7th 34.8% Opp 3pt
3rd +3.8 rebounding
10th 1.94 blocks
1st 12.06 steals
1st +8.5 turnover margin

Clearly, both teams provide quality in numbers. Each team benefitted familiarity from years of playing together. But it's also readily apparently that we went about it different ways.

My Gusties were a boa constrictor, slowly choking opponents out with a reliable half-court defense. While we had pressed extensively in the previous three seasons, it was basically ignored this season. We relied heavily on the perimeter duo of Eric Nelson and Chris TeBrake, while bringing all-everything Doug Espenson off the bench. Each was named to at least one All-Defensive team in his career.

The Tommies take a more aggressive approach to their defense. They employ a devastating press and have waves of quality reserves to keep everyone fresh. Their opportunistic defense has often created a layup drill setting against the best of the rest. The only comparison that makes sense is a boxer trying to stay upright against Mike Tyson in his prime...or a reporter standing unfazed by his interviews. B.J. Viau and Lonnie Robinson made the All-Defensive team a year ago and figure to return.

However, both teams had/have problems inside. My Gustavus teams started no one taller than 6-foot-4 and it cost us in a couple big games. We lost at Buena Vista early in the year and in the second round of the national tournament to Stevens Point, who went on to win two straight titles. The Tommies start a 6-foot-3 center and the bench behind him has been unreliable.

Could the same shortcomings that held us back also cost St. Thomas? They might, but I fully expect the Tommies to run the table against MIAC opponents and take their place among the great teams in league history. In fact, I wouldn't surprise me to see a few comments here from conference rivals before everything is said and done.

Minnesota Wrap
• SMU grad Maddy Loftus is discussed by former teammates in a neat CNN.com article.
• National free throw record held by Concordia's Jamie Visness is broken.