MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[KnightSlappy]

As I mentioned moving the Heartland over doesn't add any teams to the possible in-region list for the MIAA.  Truthfully I think the Heartland is the big loser here because now they lose all of those Mid-West Region schools and only keep the ones that are 200-miles in distance.  Not many actually fall in that category.  The ones they add from the AMCC and PAC are just as far or farther than for MIAA schools.  The MIAA, OAC and NCAC were already in-region and they were already playing quite a few of those opponents anyway.

The HCAC plays an 18-game conference schedule, so they won't actually care which non-conference games are "in-region" or not. They'll all be meeting the 70% rule automatically.

[KnightSlappy]

Doesn't the 70% rule (coming next year) make the in-region games part of this not that big of a deal?  Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but it seems pretty easy for all schools to play 70% of their games in-region...and then once they do that, all games vs D3 teams "count."

It's "easy" for all schools to play 70%, but, as you know, (many) MIAA schools need to be very intentional about this.

14 game conference schedule leaves 11 non-conference games. 4 need to be in-region. That's not that big of a deal most years, but here's the situation for Calvin.

2 games hosting Tip-Off Tournament
2 games vs. NAIA over Thanksgiving weekend
2 games vs. CCIW Wheaton and Carthage
2 games over Christmas at a tournament (seems they make a "big trip" every other year)
3 single game scattered throughout

I don't think we want to tell Division III teams that they can't travel once a year, play two NAIA's that both exist within walking distance, or regularly schedule two of the  closest ten non-conference teams (regardless of regionality).

If Wheaton and Carthage are not to count toward the 70%, Calvin will have to make sure 4 of the 5 remaining games are in-region. That's is doable, but it doesn't leave a great margin for error.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Jordan Brink will likely set a new Calvin College single season FT% record this year (min 25 attempts)--currently shooting 95.5% on the season.  Combined with his freshman season two years ago, he now is 94-100 for his career, currently a new career FT% record for Calvin (min 100 attempts).

Bryan Powell has 962 career points with between 1 and 6 games remaining in his career. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

FYI - Aurora did not make the final regional rankings...

[neilrocks]

My "Mendoza" line for FT shooting has always been 75%.

The free throw percentage in college basketball on the men's side has been right around 69% for over forty years. It's never topped 70%, and never dropped lower than 67%.

In other words, your Mendoza line is actually a Gwynn line.

WOW, Greg, that is unreal to me.  Thanks for the info.

Must be all those sprints and suicides I had to run when we didn't shoot 75% as of team or an individual.  3 out of 4 was just ingrained in my brain.

I did a little research on what the "Champions" did the past 13 years, here it is:

2012 - WI - Whitewater = 72%
2011 - St. Thomas (MN) = 71.1%
2010 - WI - Stevens Point = 74%
2009 - WASH U = 74%
2008 - WASH U = 71.5%
2007 - Amherst = 70.9%
2006 - Va Wesleyan = 69.5%
2005 - WI - S. Point = 76.8%
2004 - WI - S. Point = 75.4%
2003 - Williams = 69.6%
2002 - Otterbein = 76.5%
2001 - Catholic = 71.7%
2000 - Calvin = 70.3%

Average of 13 champs = 72.6%

I guess I need to adjust my line to 72.5%

[KnightSlappy]

My "Mendoza" line for FT shooting has always been 75%.

The free throw percentage in college basketball on the men's side has been right around 69% for over forty years. It's never topped 70%, and never dropped lower than 67%.

In other words, your Mendoza line is actually a Gwynn line.

WOW, Greg, that is unreal to me.  Thanks for the info.

Must be all those sprints and suicides I had to run when we didn't shoot 75% as of team or an individual.  3 out of 4 was just ingrained in my brain.

I did a little research on what the "Champions" did the past 13 years, here it is:

2012 - WI - Whitewater = 72%
2011 - St. Thomas (MN) = 71.1%
2010 - WI - Stevens Point = 74%
2009 - WASH U = 74%
2008 - WASH U = 71.5%
2007 - Amherst = 70.9%
2006 - Va Wesleyan = 69.5%
2005 - WI - S. Point = 76.8%
2004 - WI - S. Point = 75.4%
2003 - Williams = 69.6%
2002 - Otterbein = 76.5%
2001 - Catholic = 71.7%
2000 - Calvin = 70.3%

Average of 13 champs = 72.6%

I guess I need to adjust my line to 72.5%

Also, Mendoza line is not a term that means average, it means so far below average that you can't make up for it even with other superior skills.

[oldknight]

My "Mendoza" line for FT shooting has always been 75%.

The free throw percentage in college basketball on the men's side has been right around 69% for over forty years. It's never topped 70%, and never dropped lower than 67%.

In other words, your Mendoza line is actually a Gwynn line.

WOW, Greg, that is unreal to me.  Thanks for the info.

Must be all those sprints and suicides I had to run when we didn't shoot 75% as of team or an individual.  3 out of 4 was just ingrained in my brain.

I did a little research on what the "Champions" did the past 13 years, here it is:

2012 - WI - Whitewater = 72%
2011 - St. Thomas (MN) = 71.1%
2010 - WI - Stevens Point = 74%
2009 - WASH U = 74%
2008 - WASH U = 71.5%
2007 - Amherst = 70.9%
2006 - Va Wesleyan = 69.5%
2005 - WI - S. Point = 76.8%
2004 - WI - S. Point = 75.4%
2003 - Williams = 69.6%
2002 - Otterbein = 76.5%
2001 - Catholic = 71.7%
2000 - Calvin = 70.3%

Average of 13 champs = 72.6%

I guess I need to adjust my line to 72.5%

Also, Mendoza line is not a term that means average, it means so far below average that you can't make up for it even with other superior skills.

From the ever-reliable Wikipedea page:

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. The cutoff point is most often said to be .200 and, when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be "below the Mendoza Line".

[neilrocks]

My "Mendoza" line for FT shooting has always been 75%.

The free throw percentage in college basketball on the men's side has been right around 69% for over forty years. It's never topped 70%, and never dropped lower than 67%.

In other words, your Mendoza line is actually a Gwynn line.

WOW, Greg, that is unreal to me.  Thanks for the info.

Must be all those sprints and suicides I had to run when we didn't shoot 75% as of team or an individual.  3 out of 4 was just ingrained in my brain.

I did a little research on what the "Champions" did the past 13 years, here it is:

2012 - WI - Whitewater = 72%
2011 - St. Thomas (MN) = 71.1%
2010 - WI - Stevens Point = 74%
2009 - WASH U = 74%
2008 - WASH U = 71.5%
2007 - Amherst = 70.9%
2006 - Va Wesleyan = 69.5%
2005 - WI - S. Point = 76.8%
2004 - WI - S. Point = 75.4%
2003 - Williams = 69.6%
2002 - Otterbein = 76.5%
2001 - Catholic = 71.7%
2000 - Calvin = 70.3%

Average of 13 champs = 72.6%

I guess I need to adjust my line to 72.5%

Also, Mendoza line is not a term that means average, it means so far below average that you can't make up for it even with other superior skills.

My thoughts on that are you MAKE it or you DON'T, no in-between.  Hence, the word MENDOZA.  Even though you only hit .200 (the prevailing Mendoza line), you can score runs, advance runners, etc. hitting .200.  You can't score a point for your team, missing a FT.

[neilrocks]

My "Mendoza" line for FT shooting has always been 75%.

The free throw percentage in college basketball on the men's side has been right around 69% for over forty years. It's never topped 70%, and never dropped lower than 67%.

In other words, your Mendoza line is actually a Gwynn line.

WOW, Greg, that is unreal to me.  Thanks for the info.

Must be all those sprints and suicides I had to run when we didn't shoot 75% as of team or an individual.  3 out of 4 was just ingrained in my brain.

I did a little research on what the "Champions" did the past 13 years, here it is:

2012 - WI - Whitewater = 72%
2011 - St. Thomas (MN) = 71.1%
2010 - WI - Stevens Point = 74%
2009 - WASH U = 74%
2008 - WASH U = 71.5%
2007 - Amherst = 70.9%
2006 - Va Wesleyan = 69.5%
2005 - WI - S. Point = 76.8%
2004 - WI - S. Point = 75.4%
2003 - Williams = 69.6%
2002 - Otterbein = 76.5%
2001 - Catholic = 71.7%
2000 - Calvin = 70.3%

Average of 13 champs = 72.6%

I guess I need to adjust my line to 72.5%

Also, Mendoza line is not a term that means average, it means so far below average that you can't make up for it even with other superior skills.

From the ever-reliable Wikipedea page:

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. The cutoff point is most often said to be .200 and, when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be "below the Mendoza Line".

Thanks for the definition.  But, I knew it, cuz I couldn't hit above it. 

Its pretty black and white, you either make a free throw or you don't.  Based on Greg's posts, 70% is average for 40 years.  I never want my team to be average.  So, 72.5% is my line, change it to the "NEILROCKS line" if it makes you feel better.  I don't think you will find that yet in Wiki

[oldknight]

Doesn't the 70% rule (coming next year) make the in-region games part of this not that big of a deal?  Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but it seems pretty easy for all schools to play 70% of their games in-region...and then once they do that, all games vs D3 teams "count."

It's "easy" for all schools to play 70%, but, as you know, (many) MIAA schools need to be very intentional about this.

14 game conference schedule leaves 11 non-conference games. 4 need to be in-region. That's not that big of a deal most years, but here's the situation for Calvin.

2 games hosting Tip-Off Tournament
2 games vs. NAIA over Thanksgiving weekend
2 games vs. CCIW Wheaton and Carthage
2 games over Christmas at a tournament (seems they make a "big trip" every other year)
3 single game scattered throughout

I don't think we want to tell Division III teams that they can't travel once a year, play two NAIA's that both exist within walking distance, or regularly schedule two of the  closest ten non-conference teams (regardless of regionality).

If Wheaton and Carthage are not to count toward the 70%, Calvin will have to make sure 4 of the 5 remaining games are in-region. That's is doable, but it doesn't leave a great margin for error.

It's been discussed on this page many times before but I favor dumping the games against the local NAIA schools. Calvin's first order of business is to live up to the requirements of the national governing body of which the school is a part, and that includes playing as many member insitutions as Calvin is able. Adding an OAC/MIAA or NCAC/MIAA or HCAC/MIAA challenge on Thanksgiving weekend to the one already in place with the CCIW seems to be a pretty good replacement.

[neilrocks]

From the ever-reliable Wikipedea page:

The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. The cutoff point is most often said to be .200 and, when a position player's batting average falls below that level, the player is said to be "below the Mendoza Line".

From the ever-reliable (yet to be inserted) Wikipedea page:

The NEILROCKS Line is an expression in DIV III basketball in the United States, deriving from the name of poster on d3hoops.com.  The cutoff point is most often said to be 72.5% and, when a player and/or a team's free throw shooting average falls below that level, the player/team is said to be "below the NEILROCKS Line".

[ziggy]

Come on OK, no one would want to see a weekend conference challenge featuring Calvin, Hope, Wittenberg and Wooster that alternates between West Michigan and Central Ohio... 

[Pat Coleman]

Come on OK, no one would want to see a weekend conference challenge featuring Calvin, Hope, Wittenberg and Wooster that alternates between West Michigan and Central Ohio... 

Imagine how many people would come to those games? Man ...

[KnightSlappy]

Come on OK, no one would want to see a weekend conference challenge featuring Calvin, Hope, Wittenberg and Wooster that alternates between West Michigan and Central Ohio... 

Or, even, a larger weekend event between more Michigan and Ohio schools played in Toledo every year. THE TOLEDO WAR.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Come on OK, no one would want to see a weekend conference challenge featuring Calvin, Hope, Wittenberg and Wooster that alternates between West Michigan and Central Ohio... 

Or, even, a larger weekend event between more Michigan and Ohio schools played in Toledo every year. THE TOLEDO WAR.

Since the event would involve Lutherans and Presbyterians as well as the Reformed crowd, may I suggest dubbing it the "Holy Toledo War".