University of St. Thomas Athletics
Johnny Tauer's team has embraced the opportunity and challenges of a Division I schedule
Gene's Blog: Men's Hoops enjoying the (Under) Dog days of winter
12/21/2021 3:22:00 PM | Gene's Blog
Since preparation began 19 months ago, Tommie Men's Basketball's bold move from Division III directly into Division I play has been a topic of wide interest across the Twin Cities and beyond.
Our D-I transition captured the attention of media members, hoops fans, alumni and students. Everyone has an opinion of what our early seasons might look like.
The coaches and players seemed to understand the challenge and the learning curve. Nobody promised immediate success. Nobody guaranteed "X" number of wins. The team simply appreciated the opportunity, and pledged consistent effort and a willingness to embrace an underdog role.
Twelve games into season one, this much is clear: Coach Johnny Tauer's Tommies are competing their tails off, and enjoying the ride.
The team picked for 10th place in the 10-team Summit League has built a 6-6 record so far, with four victories away from campus.
They've been competitive all the way until the final buzzer in five of the six defeats.
Out of 358 D-I programs, they rank among the leaders in several team and individual shooting and turnover stats.
They are led on the floor by five guys who each grew up 30 minutes away and came to campus primarily to pursue a degree and play D-III basketball. That quintet is now hooping it up in prime time against experienced, scholarship players.
They broke two program records in a Dec. 14 home victory over Northland College. Six days later they won on the road in the university's first Summit League contest, 80-73 at Omaha.
This close-knit group arrives in Denver today to prepare for a Wednesday afternoon game. The Tommies' team bonding has flourished on recent trips to play in Illinois, Ohio, New York, Washington, Iowa, Nebraska and now Colorado.
In the Northland win, St. Thomas' 71 first-half points surpassed the old school best for most points in one half (68). The Tommies went on to break the old school record of 20 made threes in a game as they closed with 22 (out of 41 attempts). Both previous records were set in a 122-74 home defeat of Macalester late in the 2017-18 season, when current leaders Ryan Lindberg and Burt Hedstrom were freshmen.
On Sunday, in the middle of final exams week, the Toms took a bus to Omaha to prepare for Monday night's game against the Mavericks. By some measures, this game marked the start of the "real" season.
The Purple made 10-of-18 from behind the arc to build a 46-23 halftime lead. They later saw a 29-point lead cut to eight in the final 3:00, but hit some clutch shots late to post a seven-point victory over Omaha. Tommie starting guards Anders Nelson and Riley Miller averaged 33 minutes each and combined for 44 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and no turnovers.
"We're thrilled to get a road victory in our first game in the Summit League," Tauer said. "We're so excited about the opportunity to compete in this outstanding conference, and tonight was the first step in that journey.
"I thought the guys came out very crisp, moving the ball and shooting efficiently. We were very pleased to have only three turnovers, and I thought that our veterans played with composure, even when the game got closer in the second half.
"Each of these games is an incredible opportunity in and of themselves, and becomes another important chapter in a season full of learning and growth."
Stats Updates
The 22 treys made against Northland are tied for the 25th most ever by a D-I men's team and three shy of a top-five total.
What was especially impressive was the unreal stat line for first-half 3-pointers. The Purple sank 19-of-26 behind the arc, converting at a 73-percent clip.
The 19 treys in one half – possibly a D-I men's record total -- are likely an all-time top-five amount. NCAA online records don't go back before last decade, but in the last 12 seasons no D-I men's team had made 19 treys in a single half before St. Thomas did it last week.
The Tommie starting five against Northland combined to make 14-of-21 behind the arc on the game, led by Miller (5-of-7), Hedstrom (3-of-4), Lindberg (4-of-5) and Nelson (2-of-3).
Nelson has made at least one trey in 15 consecutive games and in 27 of the last 29. Miller has made at least one in 18 of the last 19 games. Lindberg has made at least one in 28 of his last 31 outings. Hedstrom had sank at least one in 17 of his last 21 games. Those four sharpshooters have combined to make 617 threes on their Tommie careers at a 41-percent clip.
Junior center Brooks Allen is averaging nearly nine points, eight rebounds and three assists over his last four games.
National Leader
Through Monday's games, Miller leads all Division I players in made threes (53) and three-pointers per game (4.75). The senior guard also ranks 25th nationally in 3-point proficiency at .460.
Miller's .454 career 3-point clip is tied for second among all Division I players with 80 or more career makes.
Lindberg ranks second nationally in 3-point proficiency at .561 (32-of-57).
As a team, St. Thomas ranks first in made threes per game at 13.7, and ninth in 3-point proficiency at .401. The Toms also rank second nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 8.2.
Our D-I transition captured the attention of media members, hoops fans, alumni and students. Everyone has an opinion of what our early seasons might look like.
The coaches and players seemed to understand the challenge and the learning curve. Nobody promised immediate success. Nobody guaranteed "X" number of wins. The team simply appreciated the opportunity, and pledged consistent effort and a willingness to embrace an underdog role.
Twelve games into season one, this much is clear: Coach Johnny Tauer's Tommies are competing their tails off, and enjoying the ride.
The team picked for 10th place in the 10-team Summit League has built a 6-6 record so far, with four victories away from campus.
They've been competitive all the way until the final buzzer in five of the six defeats.
Out of 358 D-I programs, they rank among the leaders in several team and individual shooting and turnover stats.
They are led on the floor by five guys who each grew up 30 minutes away and came to campus primarily to pursue a degree and play D-III basketball. That quintet is now hooping it up in prime time against experienced, scholarship players.
They broke two program records in a Dec. 14 home victory over Northland College. Six days later they won on the road in the university's first Summit League contest, 80-73 at Omaha.
This close-knit group arrives in Denver today to prepare for a Wednesday afternoon game. The Tommies' team bonding has flourished on recent trips to play in Illinois, Ohio, New York, Washington, Iowa, Nebraska and now Colorado.
In the Northland win, St. Thomas' 71 first-half points surpassed the old school best for most points in one half (68). The Tommies went on to break the old school record of 20 made threes in a game as they closed with 22 (out of 41 attempts). Both previous records were set in a 122-74 home defeat of Macalester late in the 2017-18 season, when current leaders Ryan Lindberg and Burt Hedstrom were freshmen.
On Sunday, in the middle of final exams week, the Toms took a bus to Omaha to prepare for Monday night's game against the Mavericks. By some measures, this game marked the start of the "real" season.
The Purple made 10-of-18 from behind the arc to build a 46-23 halftime lead. They later saw a 29-point lead cut to eight in the final 3:00, but hit some clutch shots late to post a seven-point victory over Omaha. Tommie starting guards Anders Nelson and Riley Miller averaged 33 minutes each and combined for 44 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and no turnovers.
"We're thrilled to get a road victory in our first game in the Summit League," Tauer said. "We're so excited about the opportunity to compete in this outstanding conference, and tonight was the first step in that journey.
"I thought the guys came out very crisp, moving the ball and shooting efficiently. We were very pleased to have only three turnovers, and I thought that our veterans played with composure, even when the game got closer in the second half.
"Each of these games is an incredible opportunity in and of themselves, and becomes another important chapter in a season full of learning and growth."
Stats Updates
The 22 treys made against Northland are tied for the 25th most ever by a D-I men's team and three shy of a top-five total.
What was especially impressive was the unreal stat line for first-half 3-pointers. The Purple sank 19-of-26 behind the arc, converting at a 73-percent clip.
The 19 treys in one half – possibly a D-I men's record total -- are likely an all-time top-five amount. NCAA online records don't go back before last decade, but in the last 12 seasons no D-I men's team had made 19 treys in a single half before St. Thomas did it last week.
The Tommie starting five against Northland combined to make 14-of-21 behind the arc on the game, led by Miller (5-of-7), Hedstrom (3-of-4), Lindberg (4-of-5) and Nelson (2-of-3).
Nelson has made at least one trey in 15 consecutive games and in 27 of the last 29. Miller has made at least one in 18 of the last 19 games. Lindberg has made at least one in 28 of his last 31 outings. Hedstrom had sank at least one in 17 of his last 21 games. Those four sharpshooters have combined to make 617 threes on their Tommie careers at a 41-percent clip.
Junior center Brooks Allen is averaging nearly nine points, eight rebounds and three assists over his last four games.
National Leader
Through Monday's games, Miller leads all Division I players in made threes (53) and three-pointers per game (4.75). The senior guard also ranks 25th nationally in 3-point proficiency at .460.
Miller's .454 career 3-point clip is tied for second among all Division I players with 80 or more career makes.
Lindberg ranks second nationally in 3-point proficiency at .561 (32-of-57).
As a team, St. Thomas ranks first in made threes per game at 13.7, and ninth in 3-point proficiency at .401. The Toms also rank second nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 8.2.
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Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by Tommie sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is working his 28th season at St. Thomas and 34th overall working with college athletics teams. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies and college sports.
If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu
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