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bgdavis -> RE: Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks (10/30/2017 3:39:55 PM)
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Coaches poll is out. They've got MSU-Mankato ranked #1 narrowly above Shepherd at #2 (822 pts vs 820 pts) despite Shepherd collecting 22 of the 34 1st place votes and Mankato only getting 10 (IUP gets 2). This seems to indicate something shown in the reason D2 Polls where Shepherd has been ranked much lower. So it's likely that those voting Shephard #1 have MSU-Mankato #2, but those voting MSU-Mankato #1 have Shepherd down around #4 or #5. Given the bump they got in this poll, I suspect Mankato might be ranked #1 in the D2 poll as well, though it's possible that IUP could still have an edge in that poll.
Meanwhile, they've dropped Winona St all the way down to #18 and have Sioux Falls at #13, despite the fact that Winona St beat Sioux Falls just a few weeks ago. That really doesn't make any sense. I'm wondering if the D2 poll might have them closer together.
Looking back at the Mav's win, what really stood out to me was how strong the defense showed up. They forced 6 turnovers from Winona, despite the fact that Winona had been near the top in turnover margin. The offense didn't put up the big 40+ numbers it has been most weeks, but the defensive effort showed the Mavs can be a more complete team.
The Mavs (9-0) are hosting Wayne St. (5-4) this weekend. This is a potential trap game with the big match-up against Sioux Falls the following week. On offense, the Mavs top-ranked rushing attack should be able to move the ball against Wayne St's 9th ranked rushing defense, while the Mavs 9th ranked passing might also find some success against Wayne St's 15th ranked passing D. On defense, Wayne St's 3rd ranked passing attack may be a challenge for the Mav's 9th ranked passing defense, but their 11th ranked rushing will likely struggle against the Mav's #2 rush defense.
The other game I'll be watching is Thursday night, when Sioux Falls visits Upper Iowa. I'll try to catch part of the game on the local KCRG 9.2 broadcast. The Peacocks are having a decent season, and currently are 6-3. Their only losses are against teams near the top of the NSIC: MSU-Mankato, Winona St, and UMD. Upper Iowa features the #1 ranked passing defense, while Sioux Falls has the #1 ranked rushing defense. Assuming MSU-Mankato and Winona St win this week, a win by Upper Iowa over Sioux Falls would help help the Mavericks by preventing a possible 3-way tie scenario if Mankato loses at Sioux Falls in the season finale. If Upper Iowa wins, Sioux Falls would have 2 losses, and Mankato and Winona could end up tied at 10-1, but the Mavs would have the tie-breaker over Winona, making them the conference champions.
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