A dream ends early

A dream season came to an end exactly seven days ago when Wash U stormed back to throttle the previously undefeated Tommies in the Elite 8. The Bears are currently on the verge of their second straight national title.

Is this news late? Absolutely, but that was a little by design. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to write. I didn't want to gloat about the collapse and run the risk of turning into the D3 equivalent of Mercury Morris — Don't call me when you're in my neighborhood, call me when you're on my block — while cracking a Mountain Dew in celebration. But I didn't want to rush to pat the Tommies on their collective backs, either. The Minnesota media had done enough of that for my taste. So I abstained...until now.

As I tried to collect my thoughts over the previous week, I ran into a couple coaches who offered their own opinions.

1. Mark Hanson asked how our runner-up Gustie squad would fare against these Tommies. As I hemmed and hawed, he spoke the obvious — we wouldn't have had trouble with their press. Wash U might be the only team UST played this year that can make that statement, if only for a half. We all saw how that turned out.
2. A Division II coach of some reknown also shared this quip: I don't care what anyone says, there's no way in hell this Tommie team is better than that Gustie team that played for the title.

So what's the truth? I'm of the opinion that my 02-03 Gusties would win roughly 60 percent of the games in this fantasy matchup. I could accept arguments as high as 70 and as low as 50. As I've stated before, I think the teams are extremely comparable in their styles and personnel. I simply like GAC's post combo of Newell/Nelson and Espo's presence off the bench as the deciding factors.

Some might point to the Bracket of Death as the reason why UST fell short, but GAC survived a comparable path. Nothing is ever easy. The six teams the Gusties played in their postseason run had a combined record of 131-17 (.885).

So what's the final verdict? Both teams are left with the frustrating feeling of "What if?" after blowing solid leads against great teams. In that sense, I feel their pain. Unfortunately, that feeling returns every March.

Minnesota Wrap
• D3hoops corrected the MIAC coaches with its postseason awards. I wonder if Zach Johnson feels vindicated?
• The Gustavus men's hockey team is playing for the Division III national title this afternoon. I hope the Strib has that back page reserved again!
• SJU football coach John Gagliardi will give the keynote address at the April 19 College Football Hall of Fame banquet. It will be held at St. Thomas and include such figures as Randall McDaniel, John Randle and former Concordia football coach Jim Christopherson.