MBB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[dc_has_been]

I'm going to go with Anderson over RHIT and Hanover over Anderson.  I'm still not sold on RHIT, but Hanover is a tough one.   Hanover has shown they are a solid team.

[zander]

Nice to see Transy and Hanover getting some votes for the Top 25

[zander]

Picks for Wed. Jan.5th
Defiance
Earlham
Anderson
RH
Hanover

Picks for Sat. Jan 8th
Franklin
Hanover
RH
Defiance
Anderson

[dc_has_been]

Well at least Hanover will continue to get some top 25 consideration.  I am happy though that DC beat Transy!  DC is still leaving me with a bunch of questions of what kind of team they are?  I know they are young, but at moments they look to be top tier and then they are playing at a mid level.  Hopefully they'll win the next four because they will have a tough five game stretch after that. RHIT (home), Anderson (away), Hanover (away), Manchester (home), and Transy (away).

[cave2bens]

dc_has_been / prophetic or soothsayer?  Regardless, congrats to the Panther men cracking the top 25 and the Hanover women pushing the trapdoor, seeking similar exalted status!

Question - as the Heartland gridiron board has been silent for three straight weeks, can we now declare it officially comatose? 

[zander]

ha ha   I don't know what has happened to this board--It has never been hopping but last year it was much more active than this year, and we have some strong teams in this league to talk about so it doesn't add up- 

Hanover has stretch of 6 games that will really test their mental toughness. It's going to get very exciting for Panther Fans during the rest of the month of January-

[dc_has_been]

Yes, officially camatose would be the best way to put it. 
I would say both HCAC boards (fball & bball)  was and is relatively slow this year.  Not a lot of reps from all of our schools. I've always enjoyed the coversations, friendships, and information from it but that's just me.
In regards to Hanover, it is great to see them in the top 25. 

[cave2bens]

Agree with y'all - with four-six teams as contenders, night in and out, and one of the (potentially) tightest races in the Midwest (or Great Lakes for that matter), the lack of input is surprising.  Apologies on that score from this end - in this locale, radio broadcasts are so heavily buffered (plus middle of the night) that efforts to stay abreast are painful.    Spent 36 hours to download one half of the Monon Bell game before finally surrendering to the broadband inadequacies of third world internet service  .

Thanks to those of you who continue to contribute and remain a personal source of sanity - well, sometimes.    Cheers!

[zander]

Just read about the athletic trainer, Dan Gorman, from Mount Union who lost his life in a bus accident traveling from Ohio Northern. Our prayers go out for his children, wife and friends-

[BUBeaverFan]

May God's love and healing touch be with all in the Mount Union family as they deal with this tragedy.

[dc_has_been]

Very sad to hear. 

[Darryl Nester]

If you are a student, faculty, or staff at a school, I would encourage you to sign a "group card" and send it to Mount Union.  If you have any doubts about the value of sending such cards on an occasion like this, I can say that following the Bluffton bus accident in 2007, it was very touching and reassuring to see the evidence that people were thinking about us.

[cave2bens]

My condolences and prayers for the Mt Union family as well.   

An excellent point and suggestion, Darryl.  The 2007 tragedy struck pretty close to home for this ATL resident (at the time) and former high school classmate of #4's father and aunt.  Regrettably, such incidents jostle daily complacency and serve as stark reminders of how fleeting and fragile life may be. 

[dc_has_been]

Well, Hanover takes sole custody of the HCAC...for now.  Anderson and Manchester will have a battle on the 19th to see who will be standing at 2nd in the conference.  Hanover will be tough to knock out with a two game lead right now but anything can happen.  They have three road games coming up and they aren't against easy teams either.  Hoping it will pay a toll on them when DC comes to town. 
I'm glad to see DC was able to have a strong second half and hold strong in OT!  They have a tough 6 game stretch coming up and will need to play very well if they want to stay towards the top of the HCAC, especially having Anderson and Hanover back-to-back at their respective arena's!  When all is said and done we'll see what type of team DC is.  Regardless, Bluffton comes to town and they've shown they are a very dangerous team.  Smash the Beavers!   

[zander]

Hanover played a nice game against a very physical Anderson team. They kept their cool down the stretch and secured the win. They need to hit their free throws in future games to close games out though.

They will be tested with the 4 remaining games in January. If they continue to play as a team with contributions from 10+ players anything is possible. Hanover plays smart and tough. There seems to be real unity among the players and the coaches. They are fun to watch-