MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[kresgekrazy]

Carl Y,

Don't let these guys get you down.  The Brits always play touch when they go to the westside.  Remember a great player by the name of Brett Quayle.  You wouldn't know it by looking at his confused, mouth-wide open stare that he was actually an intelligent human being.  He was a Knight killer his senior year.  After "Iron" Mike Thomas caught that ball falling out of bounds and hit Q at the top of the key - it was all over for KVS and the Knight faithful.  Watch for Garrett Gibbons to steal the show in GR.RAP the next time these two meet.  His family is from the westside and the Brits will be hungry. 

As for the loss, probably good that the Brits took at least one on the chin (although I would still love for them to be undefeated in the league of extraordinary gentlemen).  As much as I hate losing to Calvin, I hate losing to Hope more - so oh well.  Go Brits - let's get back to those winning ways.

Headlines - some skinny kid from Dearborn is running at Albion next year - He looks like a bird and is supposedly carrying the Avian FLu.  Muskan is his name.  I hear his new roommate likes to start fires in frat houses some guy named Lawdogg.

[albionbritfan]

Yeah Albion lost but they had the foul numbers in their favor, even after having to foul in the late game situation.  Just own up to getting beat.

I will own up to Albion getting beat on some pretty good defense by Calvin.  They forced us to try and beat them without the outside shot, which wouldn't fall for us like it did so easily against Hope.  Calvin also collected more offensive rebounds and forced more turnovers.  It happens.  Calvin's best effort resulted in a three-point win for them in a game in which Albion actually lead for more of the game, just not at the end.  The sky isn't falling, and I feel confident Albion can beat them at the Fieldhouse.

But, as for this foul comparison that Ziggy references, that's comparing apples to oranges, and yet it's the second game in a row that a poster has tried to use this argument.  K and Calvin are jump-shooting teams.  Albion's offense runs through the low post.  Do I need to draw picture for you?

[ziggy]

Dear MIAA officiating crews,

Albion runs its offense through the low post.  As a result, Brandon Crawford and Evan Way are obviously fouled at least 15 time per half.  The three of you need to be sure you make all these calls.  Other teams just shoot jump shots and are never fouled by Albion defenders, even if their perimeter defense is weaker than the other teams inside defense.  You guys are obviously blind and should be replaced.

Sincerely,

Albinomascot19
albionbritfan

[devossed]

Perhaps my wife didn't tell her what weekend we'd be taking said day trip.

May fortune abound on your doorstep. Just don't step in something you'll regret.

[albionbritfan]

Ziggy,
If you re-read my post, you will notice there isn't a single hint of a complaint about officiating.  Officiating didn't affect the outcome of the game.

My point was that using, as a basis for an argument, discrepancies between both fouls and free throws is flawed when teams run vastly different offensive sets.

And I never said "Calvin is just a jump shooting team." But if you don't think that your offense flows through your 1-3 spots, then I suggest you consult your team's stat page or the stats of that game.  Meckes and Snoeyink aren't bad but they aren't the rock stars of your offense either.

Relax, your hyperbole is unwarranted.

[ziggy]

I would argue that the contact down low was basically the same on both ends.  15 offensive rebounds create a lot of opportunities for fouls to be called on the defensive team.  There seemed to be a lot of hacking on some put back attempts but I haven't said a word about it.  Crawford and company shouldnt be looking for the super star treatment because it doesnt exist in DIII.  I understand the tendency you point out but I dont think it had any bearing in this situation in any way.  Both teams are physical, fouls are fouls.

[albionbritfan]

Points in the Paint for Saturday's Game:
Calvin: 14
Albion: 28

A number of those offensive rebounds for Calvin weren't the "in-the-trenches" gets, rather long rebounds or muffed rebounds by the big guys that ended up near the foul line.  Veldhouse, Chappell and Trewhella had six of the 15.

And speaking of which, Veldhouse was quite a player down the stretch, hitting two clutch shots at the critical point of the game, late.

[KnightSlappy]

I agree that the officiating in the MIAA is not the same as it is in the Big Ten and some very terrible calls are made (see the loose ball foul on Bear DeVries in the Trinity game) but more often than not these calls do not lose the game for one team.  Sure some calls went Calvin's way that shouldn't have but some calls went Albions way that shouldn't have.  The game was close the whole way and by the end of the game the foul calls were reasonable.  If you need every call to go your way to win a game then you didn't play a good enough game.

[bulldogalum]

In my years watching games, I'm sure I've developed a fairly poor reputation among the officials of the MIAA, often criticizing their calls.  And, with the way Adrian has played in the conference this year, it would be easy to blame the officials for several of the losses.  But, the fact of the matter is, even though I get on the officials a bit during the game, afterwards I can sit back and know that they did not ultimately decide the game.  There are only a few games that I can think of in recent memory (Adrian at Olivet last year, the death knell for Ernie Cryer in the MIAA, and Michigan-Nebraska at the Alamo Bowl) where I can honestly say that I felt the officiating played a major role in deciding the outcome of the game. 

While we as fans are watching the game, certain calls seem like highway robbery, and we all have our least favorite calls.  But the fact of the matter is that, while the officiating in the MIAA has had some notable lows, and while some of the calls make you scratch your head, they usually screw things up pretty equally.

Of course, this doesn't mean I'm going to stop getting in officals' ears after they make bad calls--and neither should you if it's your thing, it simply means that, while officials make bad calls, its eventually the teams that make or break their own chances at victory in the vast majority of cases.

[NW Hope Fan]

  If you need every call to go your way to win a game then you didn't play a good enough game.

Amen! And if I could give you Karma, I would.

[arena]

In my years watching games, I'm sure I've developed a fairly poor reputation among the officials of the MIAA, often criticizing their calls.  And, with the way Adrian has played in the conference this year, it would be easy to blame the officials for several of the losses.  But, the fact of the matter is, even though I get on the officials a bit during the game, afterwards I can sit back and know that they did not ultimately decide the game.  There are only a few games that I can think of in recent memory (Adrian at Olivet last year, the death knell for Ernie Cryer in the MIAA, and Michigan-Nebraska at the Alamo Bowl) where I can honestly say that I felt the officiating played a major role in deciding the outcome of the game. 

Refresh my memory please.  What was the call?

[hope1]

the new polls are out hope stayed number   4 albion dropped to number 6

[albinomascot19]

I want to emphasize....that players that make the key plays in the game, lead their teams to victory.  The last game, even with some "questionable" calls, Mike Bailey had a chance to feed Zak Silas with the ball, and he basically rifled it into the crowd, which in essence was a turnover, and didn't help the Brits.  Turnovers really kill a team.  Also lack of quality shots really hurt a team.  Albion shot pretty horrific from the 3 point line, might I add.  Taking so many 3 pointers can only be to your advantage, if you can make them.   I also saw Albion play some lax defense, Calvin was able to shoot 3 pointers basically at will. 
Also being able to make free throws, really helps out your team's cause.  For teams that play close games, being able to hit from the charity stripe, is crucial.   Calvin probably has the best free throw shooting percentage out of any team in the MIAA.

I think some players in the NBA could benefit being taught how to make a free throw.  Lets think about our Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace, what a great defender, can't make a free throw if his life depended on it.

[Facenorth]

Ben Wallace, what a great defender, can't make a free throw if his life depended on it.

Actually Ben Wallace has made 73 free throws to date this season.  Every one of which when his life did not depend on it.

[albinomascot19]

If only players could shoot better percentages at the charity stripe.....they aren't being guarded, hence being called a "free throw."  I have always connected guys that can hit 3 pointers as being the best free throw shooters.   I know that when shooting free throws, its not like there is complete silence, people try to get into your head, to break your focus.  However the great free throw shooters out there, block all that out, and for them, its just, the basketball hoop and themselves, everything else is taken out of the equation.  Some players shoot free throws with ease, while others tend to struggle.  I don't know why some people tend to shoot better when there is a hand in their face, compared to just shooting a free throw, never really understood it.  I knew in high school, they made us run suicides, every time we missed a free throw, and it basically motivated everyone not to miss (or else everyone has to run, even if you were the only one that missed it).