MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[AndersDY]

Too bad the National Championship doesn't come from a survey, devossed. Sounds like we're getting good support. I actually was mistakenly remembering that I thought Pat matched me on the pick of IWU to the finals, but he had Whitewater, so I guess he was still choosing the same sectional as I was.

I wonder if that capacity issue is something that schools can exploit a little bit. Well, our "official" capacity is 2916, so we'll give you guys half of that and oops... where did these 500 tickets come from? I suppose if they have to stick to a number that low, there won't be the number of people sitting around the top of the bowl like there were for the Albion game.

[dren]

from what I gather... tickets for players family (4 per player x 4 teams), cheerleaders, bands, officials on and off the floor, press, etc... are spoken for before devising the tickets.  I'm not sure where the amount 2916 comes from.

[gohope]

can anyone else back the statement that it might be on TV???

As for attendance at the new DeVos I'm pretty sure the number of tickets that Hope bases its percentages on is 2,916 (in other words Hope has half of 2,916 and Calvin and the two Wisco schools split half of 2,916 three ways).  So there won't be 3,500 people there regardless of what the boxscore says.  I'm guessing you could shoehorn a few extras in beyond 2,916 ....

kcrest - I'll bet that the number will be greater than 2,916.  That's because the attendance for the first game vs. Elmhurst was 3,201. Then the game vs. Calvin was 3,491 and the game vs. Albion was 3,593.   Remember, we deal with wooden shoes in that town, so "shoehorning" isn't new to us!

[AndersDY]

If you're having to use a shoehorn to get into your wooden shoes, that cannot be comfy at all... unless I suppose you only need the shoehorn because that 9th pair of socks make it just a bit too tight.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

For me the question about IWU is how did they loose to Wheaton???

http://www.d3hoops.com/story.php?story=45368

"With 18:15 remaining in the second half, senior Jordan Kemper drained a three-pointer to spark a 26-11 scoring run for the Thunder (9-13, 5-6) to tie the game at 53-53 with 7:50 left in the game. Kemper was sensational over the span of 8:25, scoring 19 of Wheaton's 26 points in the run. During the hosts' run Kemper was 7-for-7 from the floor, with a 5-for-5 effort from three-point range, adding three rebounds and a steal."

Wheaton was also coming off a game in which they upset Augustana.

http://www.d3hoops.com/releases.php?release=45367

Also interesting is that Wheaton took IWU to OT in there first meeting @ IWU.

I never doubted that Wheaton had to play a great game to win - and IWU probably played poorly, I guess my question was more phylisophical

[sac]

I am laughing hystericly.........does anyone remember trying to get tickets for a 1250 seat on campus venue.......when you average 2500.

...of course I'm also laughing because I have seats.

I don't think I'd give up on tickets, the attendance figures from the previously mentioned attendance highs suggest there will be standing room only seats, which are damn fine seats actually.


Why is it a bad thing for Hope to be thinking National Title?  Isn't that what all this is about?  Is it going to hurt less if they lose and weren't thinking about a title....no. 

If your gonna be in it, ya might as well win it. 

[sac]

This has bugged me all year.........

What's with the ladder on the roof of DeVos?  Should we call Dan Vos and ask if they're missing a ladder?  I find it odd. 

[Pat Coleman]

I agree the Salem Civic Center is somewhat outdated but they are making upgrades to all of their facilities on a regular basis. The amenities at the Civic have been refurbished in the past 12 months, the football stadium has had some nice upgrades, and I think the seating at the Civic Center has been upgraded or that is coming.

The walls need work. I think those couple of upgrades will be helpful.

[gohope]

If your gonna be in it, ya might as well win it. 

SAC - You're a poet - did you know it? (and I'll quit there otherwise people will give me smart alleck remarks about the next line!! )  And not it has nothing to do about orange shorts!!

[realist]

Sac:  You are preaching to the choir!.  If you are going to dream, dream big.  If your goal was only to get in the NCAA why?
Tneim: I agree.  The building is done, and as the above numbers indicate they have some, ah, flexibility.  You presented a very well reason answer for why the De Vos is the size it is, and now we are living with the decision.  In fact, your points were so well reasoned you could almost be mistaken for a Calvin grad. in some circles.

[albionbritfan]

I agree the Salem Civic Center is somewhat outdated but they are making upgrades to all of their facilities on a regular basis. The amenities at the Civic have been refurbished in the past 12 months, the football stadium has had some nice upgrades, and I think the seating at the Civic Center has been upgraded or that is coming.

The walls need work. I think those couple of upgrades will be helpful.

Didn't know this but the home to the D3 National Championships for a good chunk of the 1980's was Grand Rapids.  GR offers premium facilities and more than two restaurants.  C'mon back, that would be awesome, especially if there was a Midwest region/Great Lakes region faceoff.

[sac]

I agree, Grand Rapids would be a great site........or say Holland.   Much more so now than 20 years ago, there's much more to do now and better hotels, restaurants and such.  It won't happen but its nice to dream.

Hope hosted the National Swimming Championships last year so they've proven they can do it.

[oldknight]

Although the BB venue isn't a brand new facility, I was favorably impressed with efforts the people of Salem take in making the national championship experience a good one for fans. They obviously want to do this work for D3 fans because they undertake the job of putting on several athletic national championships during the course of the year and apparently are committed to further upgrades in facilities. Doing all this takes a lot of effort and I think they should be commended for doing this on a long term basis. Having the same community do this year after year rather than rotating the championships to other places has some benefits, not the least of which is the fact that each year of experience helps the promoters get better at what they do. The main reason west Michigan fans are complaining, whether we want to admit it or not, is the 11 hour plus drive to Viriginia. Of course, if neither Hope or Calvin make it to the Final Four we won't have to worry about the drive, will we?

[sac]

Well I have nothing but praise for the people who put on the show in Salem.   Nice facility, warmer weather for us snowbound folk.........could be better, yes everything could.

It would just be great if it was in my backyard.

[Gregory Sager]

Greg S.  Defiance was a mistake driven by the need to add a f-ball school to get an AQ.

I know that. The funny thing is that the school your league got to take Defiance's place on the gridiron is the same school that Hope is going to be facing tomorrow night in the first round of the tourney.