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March 19, 2010

Another season ends too soon for the Mavs

By Chad Courrier Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — The arena was pretty lonely, with only a few applauding fans signaling that their favorite team was taking the court.

The environment got better as the game went along, but it just didn’t seem right, considering this was the Division II men’s basketball tournament and the winner would advance to the final eight with a chance to win a national championship.

But that’s what happens when the home team gets knocked out early, and this Tuesday night game was played at Minnesota State’s Bresnan Arena, the same court where the Mavericks lost in the semifinals just two nights earlier.

It’s tough to evaluate the Mavericks’ season, though the initial response is disappointing. But should you be disappointed with a team that won 25 games and a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title?

Yes and no.

You’re disappointed because you thought this Mavericks’ team was better than top-32 in Division II. You’re disappointed that the Mavericks couldn’t protect home court in the conference or regional tournaments. You’re disappointed that over the last three weeks, opponents were able to execute better in the final minutes of close games and show more grit and determination than the home team.

Is that fair? Sure.

It’s all about expectations, and it’s no secret that coach Matt Margenthaler’s dream is to get to the final eight and win a national championship. Lofty goal, to be sure, but lesser expectations will lead to lesser results.

That’s why he has gone after recruits that could have picked Division I schools over Minnesota State. That’s why he’s welcomed those kids back if Division I didn’t work out. He didn’t exclusively recruit high-schoolers who might have taken a couple of years to develop because he didn’t want to wait that long.

The result over the last six seasons have been talented, athletic teams with a combined record of 149-41 and six straight appearances in the national tournament. Those achievements are not to be under-appreciated.

Yet each season that had so much promise heading into March only ended up being a frustrating or disappointing finish somewhere in the region tournament.

Is it better to have a team that achieves at a high level in the regular season and falters in the national tournament? Or would you prefer a team that doesn’t make it to the national tournament every year so that you don’t end up disappointed?

This team was a lot of fun to watch, and it’s hard to say why things went so wrong in the last three weeks. How does an aggressive, confident team play so tentatively and poorly at the end?

There are more questions than answers at this point, but it’s only seven months until the season starts again.



Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com or check out his local sports blog at www.mankatofreepress.com

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