University of St. Thomas Athletics
Anders Nelson and his teammates are preparing for what might be the program's last two games against the Johnnies.
Photo by: University of St. Thomas
Gene's Blog: The last D-III top-10 showdown on campus?
2/23/2021 3:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Gene's Blog
In these strange times comes these realizations:
1) It's Feb. 23 and Tommie hoops coach John Tauer still hasn't played a home game
2) And when No. 5-ranked St. John's (3-0) and No. 7 St. Thomas (2-0) meet in men's basketball Wednesday in Schoenecker Arena (7 p.m.), it could mark the end of a chapter in certain home competitions.
It's potentially the last time that we will witness two top-10 ranked Division III teams squaring off on our campus, barring a contest this spring involving baseball or softball.
With no spectators allowed in the arena due to Covid protocols, you'll have to pull up your laptop or phone and enjoy a webcast if you want to watch the contest.
Coach John Tauer's Tommies and Coach Pat McKenzie's Johnnies are scheduled to play again seven days later in Collegeville, with the same fan restrictions.
The teams shared the conference crown and both were ranked in the top five of the last national poll in 2019-20. They played three times last winter, but the fourth meeting set for Collegeville in the NCAA playoff Sweet 16 round was called off last March due to the Covid outbreak.
After St. Thomas' 22 sports move up next fall into Division I competition, any future games or scrimmages in team sports against Division III opponents will be rare if not completely phased out.
The Tommie basketball teams and women's hockey squad have already made their last road trips to play games in places like Winona, Moorhead or St. Cloud, for example.
Thanks for the Memories
St. Thomas and St. John's athletic teams started competing head-to-head 119 years ago, with a football game on Thanksgiving Day 1901. The two universities have met 89 times in football; 165 times in basketball; and 159 times in hockey. On a few occasions the archrivals have met four times in the same hockey or hoops season, and twice in football.
Tommie-Johnnie hockey games are scheduled for this Friday night in Mendota Heights, and again Friday March 12 at St. Cloud State.
These schools will also compete on March 6 in Collegeville in indoor track and field.
Contests in baseball, tennis, and outdoor track -- and possibly in football and men's soccer -- will also take place this April and May.
St. Thomas (No. 11) and St. John's (No. 22) are both ranked in men's golf.
In one preseason baseball poll, the Toms sit at No. 15. In the D3Baseball.com poll, both the Tommies and Johnnies are in the "receiving votes" category outside the top 25.
Both SJU and St. Thomas ended the 2019 football season in the top 20 rankings by D3Football.com, but there likely will not be a new poll released for what could be a limited spring 2021 season.
There are no hockey top-15 polls being released in 2020-21.
Did You Know?
St. Thomas Women's Hockey:
St. Thomas Men's Basketball:
St. Thomas Men's Hockey:
St. Thomas Women's Basketball:
1) It's Feb. 23 and Tommie hoops coach John Tauer still hasn't played a home game
2) And when No. 5-ranked St. John's (3-0) and No. 7 St. Thomas (2-0) meet in men's basketball Wednesday in Schoenecker Arena (7 p.m.), it could mark the end of a chapter in certain home competitions.
It's potentially the last time that we will witness two top-10 ranked Division III teams squaring off on our campus, barring a contest this spring involving baseball or softball.
With no spectators allowed in the arena due to Covid protocols, you'll have to pull up your laptop or phone and enjoy a webcast if you want to watch the contest.
Coach John Tauer's Tommies and Coach Pat McKenzie's Johnnies are scheduled to play again seven days later in Collegeville, with the same fan restrictions.
The teams shared the conference crown and both were ranked in the top five of the last national poll in 2019-20. They played three times last winter, but the fourth meeting set for Collegeville in the NCAA playoff Sweet 16 round was called off last March due to the Covid outbreak.
After St. Thomas' 22 sports move up next fall into Division I competition, any future games or scrimmages in team sports against Division III opponents will be rare if not completely phased out.
The Tommie basketball teams and women's hockey squad have already made their last road trips to play games in places like Winona, Moorhead or St. Cloud, for example.
Thanks for the Memories
St. Thomas and St. John's athletic teams started competing head-to-head 119 years ago, with a football game on Thanksgiving Day 1901. The two universities have met 89 times in football; 165 times in basketball; and 159 times in hockey. On a few occasions the archrivals have met four times in the same hockey or hoops season, and twice in football.
Tommie-Johnnie hockey games are scheduled for this Friday night in Mendota Heights, and again Friday March 12 at St. Cloud State.
These schools will also compete on March 6 in Collegeville in indoor track and field.
Contests in baseball, tennis, and outdoor track -- and possibly in football and men's soccer -- will also take place this April and May.
St. Thomas (No. 11) and St. John's (No. 22) are both ranked in men's golf.
In one preseason baseball poll, the Toms sit at No. 15. In the D3Baseball.com poll, both the Tommies and Johnnies are in the "receiving votes" category outside the top 25.
Both SJU and St. Thomas ended the 2019 football season in the top 20 rankings by D3Football.com, but there likely will not be a new poll released for what could be a limited spring 2021 season.
There are no hockey top-15 polls being released in 2020-21.
Did You Know?
St. Thomas Women's Hockey:
- is 19-1-4 in games on her career when senior Maddy Fiedler scores a goal, and 37-6-4 in games when she scores a point.
- is 20-2 in games on her career when senior Alyssa Wallace scores a goal, and 37-2-2 in games when she scores a point.
- is 55-3-3 in games over the last three seasons when it scores three or more goals.
St. Thomas Men's Basketball:
- is 40-6 in games on his career when junior Anders Nelson scores in double figures.
- is 16-0 in games on his career when junior Riley Miller scores in double figures.
- is 27-5 in games on his career when senior Burt Hedstrom scores in double figures.
- is 18-4 in games on his career when senior Ryan Lindberg scores in double figures.
St. Thomas Men's Hockey:
- is 22-6-3 in games on his career when junior Luke Radetic scores in double figures.
- is scheduled to end a 25-day layoff when it travels to Gustavus this Thursday night. Coach Jeff Boeser's Toms are scheduled to play three games in three nights.
St. Thomas Women's Basketball:
- is 42-0 against conference opponents in games that senior Kaia Porter has played on her career.
Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by UST sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is in his 27th season at St. Thomas and 33rd overall in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies, the MIAC and Division I and III sports.
If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu
Players Mentioned
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