MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Dark Knight]

So with 3 wins against top 10 teams in the last 8 games, does Calvin enter the top 10? Especially since at least 4 of the top 10 have lost or will lose tonight.

[walawala]

Not to mention only one loss to a division 3 opponent...Hope. 

[sac]

After the second one it seemed that KVS put the other two refs in his pocket. Ticky tac calls following the second Tech.

No comment 

[MIdoubleA]

So with 3 wins against top 10 teams in the last 8 games, does Calvin enter the top 10? Especially since at least 4 of the top 10 have lost or will lose tonight.

I doubt it, whoever lost tonight probably won't drop out of the top-10. Also, beating Albion twice isn't the same as beating two top-ten teams. Who were the 4 that lost tonight? I read 2 earlier but who else?

On to the Hope game...

Playing the Alma team that showed up tonight makes anyone look good. Hope played well, particularly their inside-outside game. Pass to the inside, back outside, swing it and hit a 3. It worked every time tonight with the exception of a few times where Voisin decided he wanted to throw it down  

It was my first time seeing Van Solkema play tonight too. Don't let the lack-luster stats fool you, he played much better than the numbers indicate. I was really impressed with Reimink tonight as well. He could be a serious player in a few years if he continues to improve.

Basically I think the Dutchmen are in good shape to enter the MIAA tourney next week. They looked impressive tonight and I wouldn't want to face the orange and blue fellows if I were any other team.

[goodknight]

Well, a lot of fun at the Calvin Fieldhouse tonight.  Nice crowd and a bunch of metaphorical punches and counterpunches between the Brits and the Knights.  A sac sighting (wearing his classic duo-tone Hope hat and Albion sweatshirt) and a nice chat after the game.  A couple of Calvin T's and a frustrated Brandon Crawford flipping the bird to a Calvin fan who observed (with painfully deadly accuracy) that Josh Meckes was eating up the league's putative MVP again tonight.
Calvin just pounded it into the post tonight, and exploited Crawford all night long.  Meckes, Zoerhof, and DeVries made it a very long evening for the big fella.
sac and I agreed that Kyle Snoeyink has been stellar for the Knights over the second half of the league schedule, doing all the dirty work on the boards and hitting some key shots, as well.
Calvin is 19-5 and 12-1 in the league.  Amazing!

[Mr. Ypsi]

MIdouybleA,

Either Augie or IWU has to lose, so that's 3.  He may have assumed Lawrence was the fourth (they were down to Carroll pretty good), but Larry came back and won it by one in the final seconds.

Looks like it will be IWU that loses - down 7 in OT with 30-some seconds to go.

[sac]

Calvin 78 Albion 66

The 78 points should tell you how well the Brits played on defense.......not well.  However the Knights are playing about as well as you can on offense..........they simply believe.

I think I can say the difference tonight in these two teams was between the ears.  I can't remember ever seeing an Albion team as unfocused tonight especially on defense.  Calvin on the other hand just has a tremendous amount of confidence right now.  Combine that with overall hustle and effort and the Knights are a potent bunch.

As poorly as this night started for Albion I really felt like they were in the game at the half.  The 11 point lead was little fluky with 2 missed Albion FT's that would have had the lead at 7, and then Veldhouse's shot.  Calvin wouldn't have had the last shot without an Albion turnover.   So Albion went from possibly having a shot at being down 5 to being down 11  in about 45 seconds of basketball.

The start of the 2nd didn't surprise me.  What did surprise me was Albion going 9 1/2 minutes to start the game before getting Crawford in the post.  He was one frustrated young man tonight.......rightly so in my opinion.  Throw in all the Albion turnovers and it was a pretty sloppy night for the Brits.  Has anyone else noticed that in the last couple Wednesday games most of Calvin's bad passes end up in the hands of teammate?

Championship teams seem to have a higher gear when things get tough ..........tonight Calvin took 1 1/2 minutes to make a 2 point lead 10.  Each time Albion seemed to get a little mo Calvin would grab it back.  Once Calvin broke the final Albion run the Brits just fell apart with turnovers and poor defense.  But overall that was the kind of night it was for them.

Calvin's MVP might be Snoeyink, his hustle and effort on the boards is really makeing things difficult for the oposition.  Throw in his 13 points a game he's been getting lately and and they're a tough bunch to defend.

Congrats to Knights on the MIAA Championship, I can't see Kzoo winning there Saturday and a share is more than most thought they'd get this year.  This one should be savored over many others as they've truely earned it on the court with superior effort and play.

The tournament next week should be great, looks like a couple other teams are playing a little better.  Its late in the season and everyone's about as good as they're going to get.
I wouldn't rule out Albion, you can regroup pretty quick when the tournament rolls around.

Nice to meet Oldknight, excellent job with the specifics by the way.  Good to see Goodknight (glad you made it out of the Big Apple, that must have been fun)  Always nice to play Albion fan for a night, although I'm not sure how much they appreciate my attendance at 3 straight losses to Calvin........hmmmmm.

Have to say "He who shall not be named" looked well.  Miss your humor......however twisted.

[oldknight]

I think this year cements KVS as one of the better coaches in the MIAA.  

With all due respect to the other good coaches in the MIAA, it's my opinion that KVS has cemented himself as the best coach in the conference, both in terms of game preparation and bench coaching. What he has done this year with this team is simply amazing. He got national coach of the year honors in 2000 and he should get it this year too. Probably won't though.

[kcrest]

Nice to meet Oldknight, excellent job with the specifics by the way.  Good to see Goodknight (glad you made it out of the Big Apple, that must have been fun)  Always nice to play Albion fan for a night, although I'm not sure how much they appreciate my attendance at 3 straight losses to Calvin........hmmmmm.

Yep Goodknight was alive and well at Knollcrest tonight.  Welcome back friend.  You picked a good night to be in attendance.  Clinching a share is more than any Calvin fan could have imagined even three months or so ago.  K will be a tough game but should Calvin prevail and finish 13-1 ... well, that's beyond all expectations.  I haven't checked the MIAA website but since the MIAA went to a 14-game season I can't imagine many league champs have posted 13-1 marks.  For this year's Calvin team to have a shot at that is a testament to the players and to KVS and his staff.  Congrats to the Knights.

I think Oldknight mentioned it but the stat of the game for me was a T for KVS followed by a 15-0 Calvin run!  Unreal.  I think KVS's T was for "being out of the coaching box."  That's a high school call in my opinion.  Plus KVS's gripe was legit.  Oh well.  Apparently the rare T (has KVS ever had one at Calvin?) fired up the boys.

Crawford was all discombooberated all night long.  Meckes threw his stuff a couple o' times and then it was kitty bar the door for 54 from there on in.  The three-ball kept the Brits in the hunt, but the lack of any inside presence surely hurt Albion in the long run.  Meanwhile Calvin got 24 combined from Snoeyink and Meckes up front and 25 combined from Tre and Veldhouse in the backcourt.  Plus another eight apiece from Zoerhof and Draayer.  Really just a fine effort all the way around for the Knights.

[Gregory Sager]

Actually Ziggy was correct, as he usually is.  I said that once Calvin got past a tough Wheaton team their path was relatively easy until the Albion game.

Again, though, that misses the point. Calvin going west resulted in two games -- a last-second win over Wheaton, and a modestly narrow game against Aurora that Calvin opened up in the final quarter. The Mississippi College game had nothing to do with Calvin crossing the lake. That was a Great Lakes/South sectional game, and it was played @ Kresge. Your thesis that it's better to cross the lake and take your chances with Midwest and West Region teams doesn't cover that.

That leaves you with two games upon which to hang your hat: @ Wheaton and @ Aurora. Out of those two, the fact that one of them was as tough a win as the Knights got all of last year -- and, again, it was against a Wheaton team that only finished second in the CCIW -- disproves your thesis, IMO.

[oldknight]

I'll bet Mike Turner wishes the ref hadn't T'd VandeStreek too.

[sac]

A few other thoughts and comments.......

So with 3 wins against top 10 teams in the last 8 games, does Calvin enter the top 10? Especially since at least 4 of the top 10 have lost or will lose tonight.

I would personally flip them with Albion right now........ Calvin is playing like a top 10 team.  Albion is not or at least they didn't tonight.  I think I voted Albion 10, I had Calvin 15

Crawford was a complete non-factor. I still have no doubt he will be voted league MVP but in the two games I have seen him play in person have made him look pretty darn average. Silas was the only reason Albion wasn't completely embarassed tonight.

Naw not a complete non-factor, he was the focus of the Calvin D all night, so his presense was an influence.  Like many of the Brits tonight he lost his composure....very early.  Very tough night for him and Calvin's D had a lot to do with that.


----Its official its longer to use the Southbeltline (Paul Henry Freeway)  Its 39 miles from my front door to Calvin using the beltline, a surprising 32 using Burton/Chicago/I196

---If I wasn't there I never would have believed KVS got a T.  But he went Joe Haklin balistic on that block, which I thought was pretty darn good but also close to goal tending.

----When did Draayer become such a trash talker?  All game........yap, yap, yap.  Pretty amusing, definately was able to get in one particular mans head.

----DeVos is only 3200 because 1000 empty seats don't make much money......or make much noise.  

 By the way I saw the drawing for Calvin's big athletic complex makeover.  Very impressive.  Can I assume the Fieldhouse becomes stricly basketball and volleyball with no multipurpose use.  I hear some of the stands will become permanent.  Looks nice.

---Nice job by Rob Passage and the Hornets, picked dead last and look like shoein for #4 and homecourt in the first round.  This is not the most talented Kzoo I've seen in his tenure.

---Tournament looks real promising for an upset


----I'm pretty sure we won't have 3 days of posts from Calvin fan's complaining about the special treatment Brandon Crawford receives from the referee's.  

[GoKnights68]

Draayer was getting shoved and elbowed all night though, sac.  Albion always guards him tight.

[kcrest]

So we're all set with the NCAA and the Wheaton trip.  We just need to take Burton to Chicago Drive to 196.  :-)

I'm not sure KVS went Haklin (the sport coat stayed on after all).  It was a pretty quick T in my opinion.  Smokin Joe earned his Ts!  I miss that guy.

Crawford was a factor in that Calvin paid a lot of attention to him.   But he definitely was taken out of his game by Calvin's efforts.  He's a great player.  I'm sure he'll rebound from a rough outing tonight.  

[sac]

yeah, and Crawford had a picnic.  

By the way, Draayers elbow he received on the shnoz was a no call becuase Draayer mugged the guy right in front of the ref before the shot.

The poor ref couldn't call that after letting that virtual felony go.