WBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association

[ChicagoHopeNut]

It was good to see the Dutch starters play very well on Saturday.  As a unit, it might be their best game this year.

Interesting to read that. I was only able to check the score on Saturday a few times and didn't listen at all so I can't judge at all. Saturday was just Hope's second win by fewer than 10 points. I know Calvin has been playing much better recently but I wonder what others thoughts on the game were. Should a close home game worry us as we head to the MIAA tourney and a likely match up with Albion or Calvin coming. (I mean as much as the #1, undefeated team ought to worry).

[WWWRHH]

Calvin hung with Hope in the first half due to a free throw disparity.  However, the Dutch pulled away in the second half and stretched the lead to 20 pts.  It was in the high teens with just a few minutes to go and the Knights hit some 3 point field goals against the freshman to narrow the score in the last 2 mins.

It really was not as close as the final score appeared and the outcome was never in doubt in the second half.

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Calvin hung with Hope in the first half due to a free throw disparity.  However, the Dutch pulled away in the second half and stretched the lead to 20 pts.  It was in the high teens with just a few minutes to go and the Knights hit some 3 point field goals against the freshman to narrow the score in the last 2 mins.

It really was not as close as the final score appeared and the outcome was never in doubt in the second half.

Thanks for that info. Sadly, one misses those sorts of things when they can only check the score at the end.

[sac]

All MIAA boxscores have running play-by-play.

http://www.miaa.org/wbb/stats/0708/0209calw.htm

[AlwaysHope]

Calvin hung with Hope in the first half due to a free throw disparity.  However, the Dutch pulled away in the second half and stretched the lead to 20 pts.  It was in the high teens with just a few minutes to go and the Knights hit some 3 point field goals against the freshman to narrow the score in the last 2 mins.

It really was not as close as the final score appeared and the outcome was never in doubt in the second half.

I was at the game, and after Hope went up 21 points with 7 minutes left the game was never in doubt.   Coach Ross commented about Hope's strong defense after his Calvin team scored their first bucket, a trey, with 37 seconds into the game, and did not score another basket until there was 3:50 left in the first half.  So Hope held Calvin scoreless from the floor for almost 16 minutes.  The Knights ended the half with four baskets, but did outscore Hope by 10 points from the free throw line to finish the half down by only 5 points.

For the game Hope's front line held Marcia Harris to only six points, including only one basket (8 shots).

[gohope]

Congrats to the Dutch for their #1 ranking for this week.  I also noted that Howard Payne picked up a couple of 1st place votes from last week with the Dutch at 15 and HP at 10. All I can say is "Ladies, Keep on keeping on!" 

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Congrats to the Dutch for their #1 ranking for this week.  I also noted that Howard Payne picked up a couple of 1st place votes from last week with the Dutch at 15 and HP at 10. All I can say is "Ladies, Keep on keeping on!" 

Interesting to see Hope lose two votes during a week they played so well and beat a good Calvin team. Of course none of it matters, win and in.

[WWWRHH]

Congrats to the Dutch for their #1 ranking for this week.  I also noted that Howard Payne picked up a couple of 1st place votes from last week with the Dutch at 15 and HP at 10. All I can say is "Ladies, Keep on keeping on!" 

Interesting to see Hope lose two votes during a week they played so well and beat a good Calvin team. Of course none of it matters, win and in.

Howard Payne has recent victories over tough conference foes Hardin Simmons (16-5) (final four 2006) and ranked McMurry (18 -3) over the past two weeks. 

I hope the lack of comparable competition does not hurt Hope in the tourney.

MIAA is not as tough, although I think Albion is under appreciated.

[Erm Schmigget]

Congrats to the Dutch for their #1 ranking for this week.  I also noted that Howard Payne picked up a couple of 1st place votes from last week with the Dutch at 15 and HP at 10. All I can say is "Ladies, Keep on keeping on!" 

Interesting to see Hope lose two votes during a week they played so well and beat a good Calvin team. Of course none of it matters, win and in.

Howard Payne has recent victories over tough conference foes Hardin Simmons (16-5) (final four 2006) and ranked McMurry (18 -3) over the past two weeks. 

I hope the lack of comparable competition does not hurt Hope in the tourney.

MIAA is not as tough, although I think Albion is under appreciated.

Definitely underappreciated.  At 17-4 with 2 of their losses to the #1 team in the nation (one by only 2 points), this team should be getting more than 10 votes in the poll.  I'm not sure how to explain their other two losses, but I'm sure they will meet Hope again in the MIAA tourney, and Hope had better be on their game.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Congrats to the Dutch for their #1 ranking for this week.  I also noted that Howard Payne picked up a couple of 1st place votes from last week with the Dutch at 15 and HP at 10. All I can say is "Ladies, Keep on keeping on!" 

Interesting to see Hope lose two votes during a week they played so well and beat a good Calvin team. Of course none of it matters, win and in.

Howard Payne has recent victories over tough conference foes Hardin Simmons (16-5) (final four 2006) and ranked McMurry (18 -3) over the past two weeks. 

I hope the lack of comparable competition does not hurt Hope in the tourney.

MIAA is not as tough, although I think Albion is under appreciated.

The numbers (at least Massey's) would say differently.  Massey has Hope's strength of schedule as 67 (out of 432).  Howard Payne is 32 and Thomas Moore (the other unbeaten team) is 96.  Albion is 72.

[WWWRHH]

Albion's close away loss to a decent Wartburg team is understandable.

The 19 point loss to Alma three days before their 2 point loss to Hope can only be explaied by the team looking ahead to the Hope game three days later.

I am sure that game was an anomaly, but it may cost the Brits a pool C bid - unless they can get past the Dutch in the conference tourney.  This will be a challenge since Hope will have the home court advantage.  I think Albion deserves a bid, but the MIAA does not typically get two.

The Massey rankings may place Albion's strength of schedule higher than Thomas Moore, but TM is ranked and likely to win their conference and automatically qualify.  Remember, the Massey rankings measure the strength of your opponents. a team  can have a tough schedule and not be ranked if it losses games it shouldn't.
 

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I don't mean to argue, but the MIAA has gotten two teams into the "big dance" the last 3 years

04/05 - Calvin & Albion

05/06 - Calvin & Hope

06/07 - Calvin & Hope

[sac]

Great Lakes Region In-Region Record Overall Record
1. Thomas More 18-0 21-0
2. Hope 18-0 20-0
3. DePauw 16-1 19-3
4. Baldwin-Wallace 19-2 19-2
5. Ohio Northern 15-5 16-5
6. Wilmington (Ohio) 14-5 16-5


Awesome, you have got to just love the NCAA

[WWWRHH]

I don't mean to argue, but the MIAA has gotten two teams into the "big dance" the last 3 years

04/05 - Calvin & Albion

05/06 - Calvin & Hope

06/07 - Calvin & Hope

You are right - I forgot about Calvin's bid year before last.

The point I was trying to make was based on Hope's feeling that they needed to win the MIAA tourney to capture a bid last year given their losses to Calvin (2) and Albion.

So in an effort to either clarify my thougths or dig a deeper hole.....

I do not have enough time to research the next statement, so I could be wrong twice in one day (and if so I will try for a third)....but in 2005 didn't Calvin win the MIAA tourney by beating conference champ Albion.  In '06, Calvin's only D3 losses were to Hope, and in '07 Hope won the tourney by beating conference champ Calvin after getting beat by Calvin (2x) and Albion.  In each of the last three years, the MIAA reps were the tourney champ plus the conference champ or a team with losses only to the confernce / tourney champ.

Albion's losses to Wartburg and Alma, in addtion to the losses to Hope, complicates the selection process (assuming Hope wins the final three games).  They are a very good team, but their best chance for a bid is to capture the conference tourney.

[Erm Schmigget]

Congrats to the Dutch for their #1 ranking for this week.  I also noted that Howard Payne picked up a couple of 1st place votes from last week with the Dutch at 15 and HP at 10. All I can say is "Ladies, Keep on keeping on!" 

Interesting to see Hope lose two votes during a week they played so well and beat a good Calvin team. Of course none of it matters, win and in.

Howard Payne has recent victories over tough conference foes Hardin Simmons (16-5) (final four 2006) and ranked McMurry (18 -3) over the past two weeks. 

I hope the lack of comparable competition does not hurt Hope in the tourney.

MIAA is not as tough, although I think Albion is under appreciated.

The numbers (at least Massey's) would say differently.  Massey has Hope's strength of schedule as 67 (out of 432).  Howard Payne is 32 and Thomas Moore (the other unbeaten team) is 96.  Albion is 72.

Now I definitely think that Albion is underappreciated.  This week only a max of 10 pollsters showed enough appreciation for a team rated higher than Thomas Moore by Massey to put them in the top 25.  And if any of those who did include Albion ranked them higher than 25, even fewer pollsters showed them any appreciation.  But then...there are probably other conferences with teams that are underappreciated in the opinion polls, so good for Albion that they got 10 votes!