MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

monsoon · January 17, 2008, 10:15:09 PM

Good likelihood I'll actually get to see a game this weekend... first of the season.

gohope · January 17, 2008, 11:02:57 PM

Quote from: monsoon on January 17, 2008, 10:15:09 PM
Good likelihood I'll actually get to see a game this weekend... first of the season.

YEAH!!!

Hopester · January 18, 2008, 12:29:14 AM

Looking forward to this Saturday's game, I was contemplating last season's performances for Hope against Adrian. In the first game we absolutely trounced them at Adrian, but when they came to the Devos for the home game and the MIAA tournament it was a close hard fought game, much like the one they just played against Calvin. Hopefully Hope can keep it somewhere in the middle ground, assuming we can't duplicate the first performance of last year. It will be interesting to watch.

Another note: Pepsi is coming to watch the Dew Crew on Saturday to make sure that their money is being well spent, so expect a good performance and turnout from the Dew Crew.

GoKnights68 · January 18, 2008, 01:43:25 AM

Quote from: Stinger on January 17, 2008, 01:06:32 PM
Historically, Kalamazoo has a very difficult time playing at Hope (obvious statement of the year). The 18-7 K team in '02-03 was on the wrong side of that awful loss at the Civic. K hasn't won there since '98. The score, unfortunately, didn't surprise me all that much.

Let's not forget Hope is the 6th ranked team in the country. The fact that they've lost 2 games this season should be more "head scratching" than the fact that they beat Kzoo at home.

The '98 season happened to be Hope's final four year as well, correct? Pretty interesting.

Looking forward to a Saturday night game in the Fieldhouse which should hopefully produce a hostile crowd from the Knightmares.

flash96 · January 18, 2008, 07:01:23 AM

Correct, 98 was Hope's second place finish to UW Plattville. Also that year Hope lost on the road to Alma, in a game that saw the worst officiating ever. I think Meulenberg filed assault charges after that game, or should have.

ScotsFan · January 18, 2008, 10:36:33 AM

Quote from: sac on January 17, 2008, 05:10:28 PM
Here's a little tidbit for Hope fans

Mt. Vernon Nazarene lost its 2nd game of the season last night 75-70 to Walsh College. They stand at 14-2 and were ranked #5 in NAIA II going into last night's game. Walsh was #2.

Aquinas is #19, and has dropped to 14-5.......of those 5 losses 2 to D2's, 1 to NAIA I, and Hope. The fifth came last week to WHAC rival Madonna. I made the comment earlier this year that Albion's loss to Madonna was a surprise, maybe not anymore. Madonna, Aquinas and Indiana Tech are tied at the top of the WHAC at 3-1.

Just some more GL perspective. MVNU had also trounced another of their league rivals, Cedarville in Mt. Vernon not too long ago. Cedarville beat Wooster by 2 down in Springfield. But, Wooster is also one of Walsh's 2 losses as the Scots beat the Cavaliers back in December in Wooster. Interestingly, both Walsh and Wooster will be travelling to Springfield on Saturday as Wooster takes on Wittenberg and Walsh takes on Cedarville.

HopeConvert · January 18, 2008, 12:05:46 PM

Does anyone have an extra ticket for the Hope/Calvin game? A longshot, I know.

ziggy · January 18, 2008, 12:26:01 PM

Quote from: HopeConvert on January 18, 2008, 12:05:46 PM
Does anyone have an extra ticket for the Hope/Calvin game? A longshot, I know.

The Fire Marshall might...

Erm Schmigget · January 18, 2008, 12:47:18 PM

Interesting happenings in the top 10 this week:

#4 Mary Hardin-Baylor, now 11-2, lost by 10 to unranked Hardin-Simmons (6-7, not even a vote-getter) on Thursday. They travel tomorrow to McMurray, a game they should win (but I bet they said the same before last night's game).

#2 Brandeis travels to #1 Rochester Sunday for the first of 2 regular season matchups. These games carry post season implications, as Hope and Calvin fans know, since teams from the same conference could very well meet early in the national tournament. Home court advantage would be BIG. As a side note, Brandeis travels tonight to #24 Carnegie Mellon. Tough weekend!

I just noticed the UAA has 4 teams in the top 25:

#1 Rochester
#2 Brandeis
#5 Washington U
#24 Carnegie Mellon

Yikes!

Also of note: #12 Elmhurst lost by 11 pts. Wednesday to unranked Carthage to fall to 11-3. They host Illinois Wesleyan, no slouch of a team (8-6), Saturday. IWU also lost to Carthage, but by only 2 pts, in overtime.

We may be in for a big shakeup in the top 25 poll next week. Here's hoping Hope can pick up W #602 tomorrow and garner a few more votes in the poll!

sac · January 18, 2008, 01:27:49 PM

Quote from: flash96 on January 18, 2008, 07:01:23 AM
Correct, 98 was Hope's second place finish to UW Plattville. Also that year Hope lost on the road to Alma, in a game that saw the worst officiating ever. I think Meulenberg filed assault charges after that game, or should have.

I don't think Muhlenberg even played in that game. The Alma loss was the the 2nd to last game of the regular season. Hope lost to Alma and Kalamazoo within about 2 weeks of finding out Dave was lost for the season to injury.

Either way, Kzoo, Albion and Alma beat the same roster of players that went to Salem at the end of the season. Hope lost 3 of their last 6, then got hot.

AndersDY · January 18, 2008, 01:33:26 PM

Shocking that we got to host a sectional at the Dow Center that year with a finish like that. As I recall, was it just goofy geography that the four remaining teams were Hope, John Carroll, and two very distant teams (one was Hampton Sydney I believe) so it was really just between Hope and John Carroll for hosting?

It was always so lovely watching those games from obstructed views up on the track.

sac · January 18, 2008, 01:42:13 PM

Quote from: AndersDY on January 18, 2008, 01:33:26 PM
Shocking that we got to host a sectional at the Dow Center that year with a finish like that. As I recall, was it just goofy geography that the four remaining teams were Hope, John Carroll, and two very distant teams (one was Hampton Sydney I believe) so it was really just between Hope and John Carroll for hosting?

It was always so lovely watching those games from obstructed views up on the track.

If I'm remembering right, Wooster was #1 in the region, Hope was still #2, JCU beat Wooster in round 2, after beating Albion in round 1 on Thursday. Hope was the highest remaining seed which gave Hope the opportunity to be the Sectional host. This was still back in the days the NCAA paired regions together with one region hosting one year, the other region the next. That year it was the GL Region turn.

.....of course the beauty of all of it was Allegheny upsetting Baldwin-Wallace in round 1, sending Allegheny to Holland and allowing Hope to not have to face their mental block.

The four teams at the sectional were Hope, John Carroll, Hampden-Sydney and Christopher Newport.

GoKnights68 · January 18, 2008, 01:56:30 PM

Quote from: HopeConvert on January 18, 2008, 12:05:46 PM
Does anyone have an extra ticket for the Hope/Calvin game? A longshot, I know.

You're best chance would be to look around for an extra student ticket, and then sit up in the very upper corner of the end zone seats, where usually is a couple empty seats there sometimes for a Calvin/Hope game.

edit: Yesterday Calvin actually had a couple of them left(don't know about today), but you'd obviously have to know a Calvin student that would be willing to get one and then give them to a Hoper

Mr. Ypsi · January 18, 2008, 03:30:42 PM

Erm, note also that the 4 ranked UAA teams are in 4 different regions. If any conference ever gets four teams into the national tourney, it will almost certainly be the UAA due to their geographical dispersion.

Erm Schmigget · January 18, 2008, 04:08:52 PM

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on January 18, 2008, 03:30:42 PM
Erm, note also that the 4 ranked UAA teams are in 4 different regions. If any conference ever gets four teams into the national tourney, it will almost certainly be the UAA due to their geographical dispersion.

Also a good reason for me to stop and think next time I start to bemoan the loooooong trip to Adrian or Alma from Holland. Let's see... Brandeis to Wash U... 1170+ miles.