MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Anybody willing to make predictions on how the MIAA is going to shake out in conference play?

I'll make what I think is a bold one: Adrian--which at 9-2 is the team with easily the best record entering into conference play--won't finish in the top half of the conference when the final results are in. Several MIAA teams with poorer records, led by Hope, Olivet, Calvin, and Alma have had exceptionally strong strength of schedule this year. Hope's SOS is ranked #2, Olivet 5, Calvin 6, Alma 15, and Albion 36 by Massey. I can't ever remember the Knights entering conference play with such a strong SOS. Pretty much every year that I've checked (going back about 10 years) Calvin's SOS is generally around 100 going into January play. Even years when they have advanced through the conference tournament and won a game or two in the NCAA's (which always improves SOS), Calvin rarely breaks into the top 40 for SOS after the season is concluded. By contrast, Adrian enters conference play with the weakest SOS in the MIAA at 235. The only team the Bulldogs have played that has an above .500 record is Anderson, who Adrian beat the first game of the year. Anderson did beat Calvin later in November.

Adrian defeated 10-1 UW Whitewater (currently #11 but I believe they were #3 at the time) @ Trine on 12/8.  If that game is not being included in the SOS you are using...

[oldknight]

Anybody willing to make predictions on how the MIAA is going to shake out in conference play?

I'll make what I think is a bold one: Adrian--which at 9-2 is the team with easily the best record entering into conference play--won't finish in the top half of the conference when the final results are in. Several MIAA teams with poorer records, led by Hope, Olivet, Calvin, and Alma have had exceptionally strong strength of schedule this year. Hope's SOS is ranked #2, Olivet 5, Calvin 6, Alma 15, and Albion 36 by Massey. I can't ever remember the Knights entering conference play with such a strong SOS. Pretty much every year that I've checked (going back about 10 years) Calvin's SOS is generally around 100 going into January play. Even years when they have advanced through the conference tournament and won a game or two in the NCAA's (which always improves SOS), Calvin rarely breaks into the top 40 for SOS after the season is concluded. By contrast, Adrian enters conference play with the weakest SOS in the MIAA at 235. The only team the Bulldogs have played that has an above .500 record is Anderson, who Adrian beat the first game of the year. Anderson did beat Calvin later in November.

Adrian defeated 10-1 UW Whitewater (currently #11 but I believe they were #3 at the time) @ Trine on 12/8.  If that game is not being included in the SOS you are using...

Good catch FDF. As soon as I read your post I remembered that good win for Adrian. Other than utter incompetence on my part, I have no explanation for how I missed it. The SOS my post mentions comes from Massey Ratings which I have found to be very reliable. I double checked and yes, Adrian's SOS is at 235. Interestingly, I see that Whitewater's SOS is fairly middlin' too, as the Warhawks' SOS checks in at 124.

[sac]

Using the RPI ratings by KS.  Adrian's NCAA SOS is a pretty miserable .422, consider that also includes the previously mentioned Whitewater 10-1.  Anderson is the only other winning team they've played at 6-5

Adrian's sched has included:
Manchester 2-9
Spalding 4-6
Capital 5-6
Case Western 5-5
Wis-Lutheran 1-9
Defiance 3-8
Earlham 3-8

But all of their other stuff looks pretty good, including all of their defensive stats.  The capability of beating a team like Whitewater, even if not the WW everyone thinks they are should make you take notice.

[sac]

Massey seems to like Hope, making them pretty solid favorites in almost all 14 games with a few trouble spots here and there.  That would be nice!

Strictly by masseys favorites and not my prediction
Hope  14-0
Calvin 10-4
Adrian 10-4
Olivet  9-5
Alma 6-8
Trine 4-10
Albion 2-12
Kalamazoo 1-13


From my fairly limited observations this year it appears to be Hope, Calvin and Olivet challenging for the title with Alma right there but I think less depth than the other three, they'll fight it out with Adrian, Trine and maybe......maybe Albion for the final playoff spot.  Then a Kzoo team that I think is going to win at least 3 as the 8th place team.

Should be pretty tight race again and can swing many ways with single results.  I expect a lot of close and entertaining offensive games.


I think the MIAA schedule will need to be looked at again this off-season it has a couple quirks that really shouldn't happen.  Besides Kzoo having to play 6 road road games in its last 8 league contests and 6 in 7,  Alma is playing at home every Saturday and away every Wednesday.  That might be a tired team by the end of February.  Olivet has to play 3 consecutive road games twice.  Calvin opens the year with 3 straight road games.

I understand the reasoning for this, but surely we can do better, there are alot of smart people in this league.

[sac]

For Hope the meat of their schedule comes at the end, they very well could be a game or two ahead as the schedule flips to the second half of the double round robin.  Hope has probably its 4 toughest road games at Trine, Calvin, Alma and Olivet in the second half.  I might even say if Hope isn't leading the league going into the January 28 games they probably won't win the league.

A small advantage to Hope is they have only one Wednesday road trip this year, a late season game at Olivet played in Upton Gym that could have significant league consequences.

We'll see how it plays out, this past Fri/Sat was a nice optimistic boost for the Dutchmen, but they seem a little shaky to me over the long haul as a potential league winner.  Calvin has the size no one else really has and Olivet has the two best players in the league in Jalen Adams and Tracy Edmond.  Can't put my finger on it but something seems off at Alma but I also saw them on a bad night, so I could be wrong about the Scots.

[maroonandgold]

For Hope the meat of their schedule comes at the end, they very well could be a game or two ahead as the schedule flips to the second half of the double round robin.  Hope has probably its 4 toughest road games at Trine, Calvin, Alma and Olivet in the second half.  I might even say if Hope isn't leading the league going into the January 28 games they probably won't win the league.

A small advantage to Hope is they have only one Wednesday road trip this year, a late season game at Olivet played in Upton Gym that could have significant league consequences.

We'll see how it plays out, this past Fri/Sat was a nice optimistic boost for the Dutchmen, but they seem a little shaky to me over the long haul as a potential league winner.  Calvin has the size no one else really has and Olivet has the two best players in the league in Jalen Adams and Tracy Edmond.  Can't put my finger on it but something seems off at Alma but I also saw them on a bad night, so I could be wrong about the Scots.

I agree with most of what you have mentioned, though I am a little puzzled about the comment that Calvin  has the size no one else can match.  It seems that before the season there was info showing Albion as having several larger big men, and this is far from the tallest Calvin team.  At any rate, I would predict the most likely outcome to be Hope, Calvin, Olivet, Alma, Adrian, Trine, Albion, and Kalamazoo with none going close to undefeated.  There will likely be several surprises over the season.

On another issue, I see that it is true that Adrian has neither video or live stats available at any of their home games.  Are they the only team in the league or possibly in Division III that does not offer that service?  Is it a cost issue?

[KnightSlappy]

Adrian often has games on YouTube live.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5R-AnML-8yPgzn3rwHqIbA

Classes don't resume for Adrian until next week. They might not be able to stream the game without students staffing the equipment.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Adrian often has games on YouTube live.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5R-AnML-8yPgzn3rwHqIbA

Classes don't resume for Adrian until next week. They might not be able to stream the game without students staffing the equipment.

I've watched games at Adrian online for quite a few years (seems I end up traveling for work often when Hope is playing at Adrian).  And it is definitely run by students (at least it has been in the past, since you occasionally can hear the student camera operator talking to friends, etc.)

[Gregory Sager]

Adrian often has games on YouTube live.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5R-AnML-8yPgzn3rwHqIbA

Classes don't resume for Adrian until next week. They might not be able to stream the game without students staffing the equipment.

I've watched games at Adrian online for quite a few years (seems I end up traveling for work often when Hope is playing at Adrian).  And it is definitely run by students (at least it has been in the past, since you occasionally can hear the student camera operator talking to friends, etc.)

Yep, I'll vouch for that, too -- Adrian's camera operators are students. I suspect that most, or at least a generous plurality, of D3 schools that offer webstreaming use student camera operators. It seems like every gym I've been in over the course of the past few years has had somebody who looks like he or she is of traditional college age standing behind the camera.

That means a mixed bag in terms of competence, of course. I think that we can all relate to being driven crazy when we've watched a webcast where the camera isn't moving with the ball from one end of the court to the other, or when it's not framed properly or the movement is jerky or (in the case of webcasts that don't have score graphics) when the camera isn't pointed at the scoreboard during timeouts and halftime. We have a good crew cf student camera operators at NPU, most of whom over the past few years have been members of the Vikings baseball team. I don't think that that's a coincidence; my guess is that, on average, other student-athletes tend to be more conscientious camera operators than are students at large, because they can relate to the importance of the project. After all, they want their games to be properly recorded in their sports, too.

[KnightSlappy]

Adrian now lists a video link for tonight's game. http://www.adrianbulldogs.com/links/4vmdt4

[Winifred Durfee]

Trine's MTI center looks very nice from what I can see on the stream of the women's game. They sure do like showing off all their new camera angles... in the middle of the play. If they get a scoreboard graphic up after winter break their streams will be very nice for viewing.

[oldknight]

In a game that was close the entire way, Adrian pulls away the final four minutes to beat Calvin 76-67. A 12-0 run by the Bulldogs, after the Knights were clinging to a 62-61 lead, slammed the door in the face of the visitors. This is a recurring theme for Calvin who really struggles to win close games down the stretch. It's no secret why--Calvin is a poor defensive team that can't stop dribble penetration, something you have to do at the end of close games. If that can't get fixed--and I don't see that happening anytime soon--games that are close going into the final five minutes won't favor the Knights, who are now staring an 0-3 conference start in the face. Amoros-Gutierrez, Wilks and DeVries with 12 each led Calvin, while Walter added 11 and Bykerk 10. Webster, Heard and Harris with 18, 16 and 12 for Adrian. Other notes:

--Luke Morrison was healthy enough to get the start but I noticed that during the final minutes, it was Amoros-Gutierrez who got the minutes. Morrison had some early turnover problems and that may have contributed to his late absence.

--Speaking of the Morrison family, I see that Luke's brother, Tom didn't get into the game and I don't know why. I didn't bother to notice if he was suited up.

--I see Trine upset Hope, so we got a race folks. Didn't see that coming.

--On a sad note, Jerry Hendrickson--1959 Hope grad, long-time local official, and former Big Ten football referee, passed away at age 80. I saw him do a high school football game just this past fall.

[Jameswys]

There will likely be several surprises over the season.

Trine 80, at Hope 75 proves this sentence to be true in the first night of the season.

[realist]

In a game that was close the entire way, Adrian pulls away the final four minutes to beat Calvin 76-67. A 12-0 run by the Bulldogs, after the Knights were clinging to a 62-61 lead, slammed the door in the face of the visitors. This is a recurring theme for Calvin who really struggles to win close games down the stretch. It's no secret why--Calvin is a poor defensive team that can't stop dribble penetration, something you have to do at the end of close games. If that can't get fixed--and I don't see that happening anytime soon--games that are close going into the final five minutes won't favor the Knights, who are now staring an 0-3 conference start in the face. Amoros-Gutierrez, Wilks and DeVries with 12 each led Calvin, while Walter added 11 and Bykerk 10. Webster, Heard and Harris with 18, 16 and 12 for Adrian. Other notes:

--Luke Morrison was healthy enough to get the start but I noticed that during the final minutes, it was Amoros-Gutierrez who got the minutes. Morrison had some early turnover problems and that may have contributed to his late absence.

--I see Trine upset Hope, so we got a race folks. Didn't see that coming.

--On a sad note, Jerry Hendrickson--1959 Hope grad, long-time local official, and former Big Ten football referee, passed away at age 80. I saw him do a high school football game just this past fall.

Yes.  Calvin teams had this "problem" long before any of the current players set foot on campus. 

[maroonandgold]

There will likely be several surprises over the season.

Trine 80, at Hope 75 proves this sentence to be true in the first night of the season.

When I was thinking of surprises, I did not think of anything like this score.  That is a shocker, especially happening at Hope's home court!