Quote from: pointlem on March 01, 2025, 11:04:55 PMAn exciting game, with no discredit to Hope players and coaches for taking favored Calvin to the wire, and holding them to 62 points. After a great first half, coaching wasn't responsible for the missed point-blank layups at the start of the second half, for the missed free throws, or the 1 of 12 3-point shooting. Nevertheless, when Hope went ahead by 12 with less than 16 minutes to play, I was feeling optimistic and I daresay the inestimable Mrs. OldKnight was growing pessimistic.

Varnado for Calvin and Wourman for Hope were both pretty sensational. I'm looking forward to watching them (well, one of them) again next year.

Kudos to the seniors for all they've invested in developing their talent and gifting us with it, with a special shout-out to Zach Hawes for ending his career so impressively the last four games. Both Hope and Calvin are graduating some players that will be greatly missed, but bring back a lot of talent as well.

I'm back by popular demand. Well, maybe not popular, but at least there was some demand.

The inestimable Mrs. OldKnight did register some concern. Her less estimable husband's major concern was whether the turnaround he expected to see would come in time for Calvin to register a comeback that would cover the deficit. From long experience in Rivalry games, and from watching the 2024-25 version of Calvin's men's basketball, I was pretty sure that the Knights would make a run, but didn't know whether it would come on time and last long enough. By the sweat of my brow, it did.

Hope's first half was superb, featured good shooting that was fueled by solid ball movement and excellent defense that largely kept the home team at bay by forcing turnovers. Mrs. OldKnight perceptively noted that it's tough to score when you don't get a shot off. The turnaround came at the 16 minute mark of game when Hope took a 48-36 lead. From there, Calvin outscored Hope 26-11 to close out a hard fought 3 point win. Hope played the entire first half at high energy and I was wondering (Hoping?) they would start to run out of gas. Slowly but surely, the fuel started to show signs of leakage, a quality that I think was simultaneously the result of playing 3 games this week along with having to finish that stretch against a never-say-die Calvin defense that has just gotten better and better over the season.

The longer the game went, the tougher it got for Hope players to get off a good shot with their feet in position to comfortably leave the floor as they launched the ball. You could see it in the body language, and it seemed pretty much every shot Hope took the final 10-15 minutes was forced late in the shot clock. That explains Hope's shooting disparity between the first half (51%) and second half (24%). It wasn't just bad luck for Hope, nor poor decision making. Calvin's defense went into lockdown mode.

Of course, it helped that the Knights stopped turning the ball over. I looked at livestats early in the second half, and Calvin had committed 12 turnovers at that point. They finished the game with 14 TO's. Didn't hurt that with Hope up 56-53 with 5 minutes left, Daane Harvey banked in one the ugliest 3 point shots ever taken at Van Noord Arena. But as someone helpfully pointed out, it went in. 

For a while, it seemed the turnover bug might trip up Calvin in their semifinal matchup with Olivet. The well-led Comets are energetic, fearless, hard-working, and have some talented big men in Conner Schipper and Lee Hardy, but lack the depth necessary to compete that way for the full 40. The loss of Lee Hardy to fouls with just under 8 minutes left was keenly felt by Olivet, who had just cut the Calvin lead to 47-44 after Hardy's floater in the lane. From that point, Calvin closed out the game on 16-3 run. Schipper, who logged 37 minutes of PT, was totally exhausted, but Olivet couldn't afford to take him out. I think Conner may have played the entire second half.

As is usually the case, the Knights offense was led by Varnado and Egekeze with 23 and 12, but I thought the excellent play of Parker Swartz was key. Parker netted 9 points, but it was his gritty and stellar defense that really was a difference maker for Bill Sall. We think of Swartz more as an offensive player, but he really is a hard working and  reliable defender, even when matched up against the physically imposing Conner Schipper. Calvin didn't shoot particularly well, particularly in the second half, but survived to take on Hope in the final. The Hope/Trine semifinal was a lot of fun to watch.

Quote from: Dark Knight on February 26, 2025, 07:40:18 AM

Quote from: oldknight on February 23, 2025, 04:48:58 PM

Quote from: GoKnights68 on February 22, 2025, 06:25:05 PMNice 70-53 win by Calvin over Trine today to finish the MIAA undefeated (first time since 2000 I think?).  They got off to 20-2 lead to start, and from there it seemed Calvin sustained about 15-20 point lead throughout the game.  Calvin really is going to have cut back on their turnovers asap if they want to make a run in tourney, should they make it.  They were fortunate that Trine shot so poorly, but nonetheless, a 17 point victory over the defending national champs and second place team is hard to complain about.

It did seem that the only real negative in Calvin's play yesterday was turnovers, but Trine plays fabulous defense, double teaming in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. But when Calvin did avoid the turnover problem, they typically wound up with a high value shot which explains their superior shooting which was the difference in the game. The Knights defenders are also a terrific defensive squad but they seem to take fewer chances than Trine does on that side of the ball. Consequently, I think Trine's shot selection yesterday was inferior to Calvin's which largely explains the shooting disparity. I did think Calvin made several turnovers that appeared to be unforced, but when a ballhandler is expecting to be severely challenged while handling the ball, the urgency--and anxiety--level goes up, and leads to unnecessarily quick and faulty decision making. All in all, a great game to watch, though the inestimable Mrs. OldKnight thought the officiating left something to be desired and didn't match the overall quality of the game.

Hmmm. I hadn't really thought about the fact that that there is a tradeoff between going for steals and solid defense, that a high number of steals may also result in a higher opponent field goal percentage. Nice observation.

Maybe we need some combination stat that includes both factors. Or would that just be defensive efficiency? From D3Datacast, Calvin 86.3 (#4), Trine 89.7 (#15).

Others have made good followup comments, but I will add a few more. I looked at the stat sheet and I see Calvin committed 18 turnovers in the Trine game, while Albion logged in at 14. While the quality of basketball statistics sometimes seem to be less than stellar (especially when the home team's statistician is keeping track of the visitors), those numbers seem about right to me. Both teams had a fair number of turnovers, but Calvin had more as I viewed Saturday's game. What surprised me is that Calvin was credited with 20 points off of Trine's 14 turnovers, while Trine only got 12 points off of Calvin's 18 TO's.

However, after thinking about it more, it seems to me that many of Calvin's turnovers were simply passes that went out of bounds, thus meaning Calvin was able to set up its defense. Going from dim oldknight memory, I recall Calvin getting some picks that led to more breakaways than Trine had.

One more thing before I shut up. The defense of both teams do double team, but they do it differently. Trine regularly double teams the dribbler the instant he crosses the mid-court line. That's terrific when you get a pick because it typically leads to a 2 on 1 or, better yet, a one on nothing. The risk in doing double teams that far from the basket, is that when the ball handler can avoid trouble and advance the ball past the double team, the offense has a brief period of time when it's going 4 on 3, which leads to more open shots and leads to the likelihood of a good shooting percentage.

By contrast, Calvin defenders usually do their double teams when dribble penetration gets the ball handler close to the basket. This is especially true when the dribbler goes baseline, a second defender shows up, and the baseline itself in effect becomes a third defender. As long as the defense rotates quickly, it's lower risk way to employ the double team. Calvin defenders have learned to rotate very well. If they don't, they hear it from the coach. Improvement in Calvin's defense this season goes a long way in explaining the team's undefeated conference season. May it continue.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 27, 2025, 02:14:23 PM

Quote from: sac on February 27, 2025, 11:45:20 AMGreat moments in d3boards history

Quote from: ChickenHoops on November 19, 2024, 08:20:52 PMIs the Calvin coach on the hot seat?

I can think of another, and more earthy object

Good reminder of that post. I've come to think lately that ChickenHoops is the return of an old troll and this is another feather in that nest.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 27, 2025, 02:14:23 PM

Quote from: sac on February 27, 2025, 11:45:20 AMGreat moments in d3boards history

Quote from: ChickenHoops on November 19, 2024, 08:20:52 PMIs the Calvin coach on the hot seat?

Good reminder of that post. I've come to think lately that ChickenHoops is the return of an old troll and this is another feather in that nest.

Possibly a feather, but I can think of another, and more odiferous object, that infests the ChickenHoops nest. But we have a family-friendly board, and I want to keep it that way, so I won't mention it. 

Quote from: GoKnights68 on February 22, 2025, 06:25:05 PMNice 70-53 win by Calvin over Trine today to finish the MIAA undefeated (first time since 2000 I think?).  They got off to 20-2 lead to start, and from there it seemed Calvin sustained about 15-20 point lead throughout the game.  Calvin really is going to have cut back on their turnovers asap if they want to make a run in tourney, should they make it.  They were fortunate that Trine shot so poorly, but nonetheless, a 17 point victory over the defending national champs and second place team is hard to complain about.

It did seem that the only real negative in Calvin's play yesterday was turnovers, but Trine plays fabulous defense, double teaming in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. But when Calvin did avoid the turnover problem, they typically wound up with a high value shot which explains their superior shooting which was the difference in the game. The Knights defenders are also a terrific defensive squad but they seem to take fewer chances than Trine does on that side of the ball. Consequently, I think Trine's shot selection yesterday was inferior to Calvin's which largely explains the shooting disparity. I did think Calvin made several turnovers that appeared to be unforced, but when a ballhandler is expecting to be severely challenged while handling the ball, the urgency--and anxiety--level goes up, and leads to unnecessarily quick and faulty decision making. All in all, a great game to watch, though the inestimable Mrs. OldKnight thought the officiating left something to be desired and didn't match the overall quality of the game.

Quote from: pointlem on February 16, 2025, 08:56:32 AMKudos to Calvin men's BB. Who among its fans expected, after their 1-6 start, that on February 16th they'd be 17-6, nationally ranked, and league champions--all without Jalen Overway. Even Mrs. OldKnight must be happily surprised.

I assume you mean the inestimable Mrs. OldKnight. She was quite pleased about the way things have turned out, but expressed her expectation several weeks ago that the team would eventually rally their way to a championship. She is a women with much confidence, a quality that is occasionally (often?) misplaced (necessary?) when dealing with a challenging husband.

The inestimable Mrs. OldKnight thought it a curious and interesting decision by Kalamazoo to play a fast-paced, up-tempo style that inevitably leads to many possessions and a lot of shots. While the Hornets's double teams near the mid-court line led to a fair number of Calvin turnovers (19), when the Knights did break the pressure, that led to an open lane and countless layups or short shots close to the hoop. That is they type of game tailor-made for Uchenna Egekeze's skills-set, and he scored 26 on 10-16 from the floor. Parker Swartz was terrific, netting 20 points in only 21 minutes of PT. It's been a while since I have seen Calvin break 100 points, and do so very comfortably.

I don't think I've ever posted on a game while it was still being played, but Calvin's win (though not the final score) has been obvious for some time. Calvin began the game with some easy baskets, including a couple of threes, and Adrian decided to throw in the towel early. Calvin has become a superb defensive team, and forced some difficult looks that the Bulldogs couldn't turn down. The Knights led 52-18 at half, pulled out to a 40 point lead, and is presently ahead 78-41 with just over 6 minutes left. It's been garbage time for both team the entire half.

After a miserable first half with Calvin shooting 22%, committing 12 turnovers, and trailing 32-23, the Knights turn on the jets the last 20 minutes and win at Alma, 74-52. Varnado led with 26 and Egekeze added 16. Given Hope's surprisingly comfortable 79-71 win over Trine in Holland, Calvin is now the clear favorite to win the regular season title and host the conference tournament.

Quote from: Dutchman17 on February 01, 2025, 06:51:29 PMIt was pretty surprising and discouraging to see the lack of Hope support at the game tonight, even with the current disappointing season.  The least amount of Hope fans in Van Noord that I can ever remember. 

My wife noticed too and made the same remark about the absence of the usual Hope faithful. I know its been a tough few-game stretch for the Flying Dutchmen, but it was still surprising to see.

As for the game, it seemed from the play on that floor that this was one the Knights could have won more convincingly. But the Rivalry has a way of forcing things closer than sometimes it seems it should, doesn't it? At least a part of the reason for that is the fact that Hope is an excellent offensive rebounding team, grabbing 14 second chances for themselves, which helped keep the game closer than the home crowd would have wished. Forcing 16 Knight turnovers didn't hurt the Flying Dutchmen either, as did Owen Varnado's poor play the entirety of the game, something not often seen. Quillen injured his lower leg in the first half and was clearly less than 100% the rest of the way. Credit to the GRCC product for gutting his way through the balance of the game. Trevin Winkle landed on a Hope player's ankle, and though he came back in, he was ineffective and Coach Sall was forced to take the McBain Christian HS hoopster out the final minutes of the contest. I'm guessing Trevin is likely to miss the Alma game Wednesday. We knew these two weeks could be decisive in conference play, and it's clearly now a two team race for the regular season championship. If Egekeze's play the last two critical games doesn't garner him another Player of the Week honor, there's something wrong in Mudville.

Quote from: sac on January 30, 2025, 12:28:08 PMBut did you sleep?

Like a 👶

Quote from: Grutte Dirk on January 30, 2025, 10:23:49 AM

Quote from: TUAngola on January 29, 2025, 09:49:11 PMCalvin tops Trine 62-58 in a physical, defensive slugfest.

Quote from: oldknight on January 30, 2025, 12:24:04 AMThis was the most intense basketball game I have attended in many years, raising my blood pressure a notch throughout its course. Calvin's win at Hope last week was pretty intense too, but this tilt against Trine exceeded the Rivalry game I believe.

What are folks' thoughts on the officiating?
Consistent?
Was too much physical play allowed?
Did it seem like an NCAA tournament game? Where the officials allow very physical play.

I thought the officiating was consistent in the sense that the game officials let a lot go, but did so in an even-handed way. A lot of leeway was given to the defensive pressure applied by both teams, and when that happens the game becomes more physical. That's the way basketball officiating has evolved over the years, and while an old guy like me shakes his head at it, it's not going to change anytime soon, so players need to be mentally prepared and expect it. I see this officiating style has even trickled down to high school level where tons of physical play is now permitted. I haven't seen any statistics on this, but I think games are lower scoring than was true 30 years ago, despite the advent of the 3 point shot.

Quote from: TUAngola on January 29, 2025, 09:49:11 PMCalvin tops Trine 62-58 in a physical, defensive slugfest.  Calvin's defense was stellar, they play tight man to man just like Trine.  I don't think Trine played badly, they just had a tough time generating any consistent offense, but again that was due mostly to Calvin's defense.  Uchenna was up to the task guarding Drew, it was tough for Drew to get many shots up.  The big key to the win was Uchenna offensively was agressive, I've watched him play for 4+ years now and this is the most he has looked for his shot against us, he was their go-to guy.  Trevin was big for the Knights too, he had a great first half.

Good game analysis. I will just add a few thoughts. This was the most intense basketball game I have attended in many years, raising my blood pressure a notch throughout its course. Calvin's win at Hope last week was pretty intense too, but this tilt against Trine exceeded the Rivalry game I believe. As good as Calvin defense is and was, I think Trine's was every bit as good if not better, forcing 20 Calvin turnovers to keep the Thunder in it. In the end, Egekeze was the difference maker, coming up with a spectacular game of 23 points and 5 steals. No one has ever considered Uchenna to be much of a threat from the arc, but he hit 3 of 4 triple attempts and his corner 3 ball with the game tied at 56 proved to be the difference maker. Ressler struggled a lot tonight, but with the shot clock winding down the final 30 seconds, and the Knights up one, Luka arced in a short but difficult fadeaway over Megnanglo to put the home team in a tough spot. I thought Nate Tucker was excellent for Trine, scoring 16 and grabbing 7 boards. Just a great game. I might not sleep tonight.

Quote from: Greek Tragedy on January 26, 2025, 11:57:47 AMhttps://d3datacast.com/conference-ratings/miaa/

Lots of talk on X that Calvin is really good. I guess I'm not going to argue that. Calvin guys have posted about SOS, Massey etc. They've won 10 in a row now, despite their early season struggles against really good opponents. However, do they even have a shot at Pool C? They sit 39th in the Pool C rankings, according to NPI. If you look at their remaining opponents, only wins against Trine will help them tremendously as everyone else is below the 53.00 NPI wins bonus threshold. For example, Oshkosh beat River Falls last night and they actually dropped in the NPI rankings because River Falls' numbers are so bad. Granted, teams move up and down based on other results and other results from teams around them, but it seems like a huge uphill battle for Calvin.

Realistically, no one should expect a Pool C bid for Calvin though continuing wins would give them an outside chance if they fail to win the conference tournament. And a lot of that depends on how other teams in the mix  do and how many upsets there are in other conference tournaments. Calvin is a good team, but they had better win the MIAA tournament.

When you win 88-64, it's tough to say your victory was lackluster, but that's kind of how to describe Calvin victory over an overmatched Alma quintet. For the third straight game at VanNoord Arena, the Knights got off to a slow start and allowed the visitors grab an early lead--this time 6-0. Slowly and painfully, the home squad pulled ahead, crawling their way to a 44-36 edge at the break. Calvin's defense was spotty, ranging from impressive shot-blocking to indifferent defensive pressure. Given the fact that this game--against an 0-16 Alma team--was sandwiched between an emotional win in a Rivalry game and a very important contest against Calvin's MIAA co-leader, I shouldn't be terribly surprised, but it was still frustrating to watch. Part of the reason for a closer than expected first half was the fact that (by my count) Alma successfully connected on five first half baskets that went in at the shot clock buzzer, three of which were from beyond the arc. Calvin went on to outscore Alma 44-28 the second frame. Egekeze scored a highly efficient 22 points, followed by Winkle, Varnado, and Swartz with 17, 15, and 14 respectively. It's getting increasingly difficult to deny Parker starting minutes, as his play has risen to new heights the last couple of games. In addition to scoring 14, his defense had eyepopping moments that included 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. Jeremy Rosario was excellent for Alma and proved to be Alma's best player, netting 22 for the Scots. On to a massive game at Trine on Wednesday.