MIAC playoffs: Tommies embarrass the Gusties

Is this the worst performance in Gustavus history? If so, it might also be the most embarrassing.

A drunken fan kicked out during warmups? Check.
Ridiculous chants at the opposing team during a blowout loss? Check.
Coach Hanson telling the athletic trainer to make the GAC students stop swearing? Check.
A coaching technical for arguing a call down 30 late in the second half? Check.
The most lopsided loss in school history? Check, I think. I don't have the patience to check the entire web site right now.

With the season now over, I can't wait to put this all behind me as quickly as possible. However, the Tommie dominance again raises the question about how good St. Thomas might be. As the stats show, these Tommies are far and away the best team in the MIAC. Most agree that the league is waaaaaaaaaaaay down this year, so take that with a grain of salt.

St. Thomas has played just five teams with winning records this year. The only team you might consider even remotely strong is Bethel, which beat up on six nonconference patsies to pad its deceivingly strong 20-6 record. The Tommies' own nonconference schedule consists of Pomona-Pitzer (13-12), Occidental (11-15), UW-River Falls (11-15), UW-La Crosse (10-15) and Division II Concordia-St. Paul (12-14). Hardly a worthy measuring stick for such a strong team.

Does that mean the Tommies don't have the potential to win it all? Of course not. They simply remain a talented, unchallenged, question mark heading into the postseason. Have they learned from their early flameouts in the past three national tournaments? Are they ready to take the next step on their rise to prominence? Can they certify their top-ranked stature? I'm excited to see them try.

For now, the next step means taking down Bethel, which topped Augsburg, for the third time.

MIAC Title Game
#2 Bethel (20-6) at #1 St. Thomas (26-0), 7:30 p.m. Saturday