MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

Beckman and Lewis had great games against Greenville  but I'm not so sure Hope survives that one without the Fr. Davis and Dietz playing as well as they did overall.  Both had their tough moments but on the whole I'd give both pretty solid marks for their overall play out there in kind of a bonkers type game to be playing in their first game.

[Dutchfan]

The Hope men and women combined for 248 points last night.

[Dutchfan]

Beckman and Lewis had great games against Greenville  but I'm not so sure Hope survives that one without the Fr. Davis and Dietz playing as well as they did overall.  Both had their tough moments but on the whole I'd give both pretty solid marks for their overall play out there in kind of a bonkers type game to be playing in their first game.

That was possibly the toughest opponent for a freshman to make their debut against. It seemed that bot Davis and Dietz struggled early against the full-court press but adapted quite well.

[calvin_grad]

The Hope men and women combined for 248 points last night.

The Hope men's team and I combined for 139.   

[Flying Dutch Fan]

The Hope men and women combined for 248 points last night.

The Hope men's team and I combined for 139.   

And the Hope women's team beat you by 109

[Gregory Sager]

The Hope men and women combined for 248 points last night.

The Hope men's team and I combined for 139.   

And the Hope women's team beat you by 109

Another blow struck by women against the patriarchy!

[sac]

After a promising start, today has been a tough day for the league so far.

Capital 81  Trine 79
Anderson 75 Kalamazoo 70
Augustana 86 Calvin 67
Ill. Wesleyan 86  Alma 81
Manchester 86 Adrian 78
Albion 112  Kenyon 61

Loras 105 Olivet 88
Simpson 73  Hope 55

[sac]

Simpson 73  Hope 55

Tired legs from yesterday is a bad excuse, Hope was just plain bad tonight.


No Ray or Gamm, illness, and I suspect Riley Lewis was probably sick today as well even though he played.   
Granger 18, Beckman 13

[Gregory Sager]

Simpson is solid. The Storm played an active zone in the first half that gave Hope fits and limited the Michiganders to a mere 18 points, as they were doubled up on the scoreboard at intermission and never really climbed out of that hole. The hands of the Simpson defenders were everywhere, and Hope drivers like Beckman and Lewis had no place to go. That duo was a combined 0-11 in the first half, and although Beckman got going in the game's latter stages, Lewis was blanked on the night. Meanwhile, the Storm's halfcourt offense was a clockwork ballet of ball movement leading to plenty of close-in baskets. I don't know if Hope had a System hangover from playing Greenville the night before or not, but I do know that Hope's utterly flat performance tonight was in large part because of Simpson's energy level and execution.

The Iowa Inter- ... oops, I mean the American Rivers Conference, is really starting to up its overall level. I don't know if adding Nebraska Wesleyan was the catalyst for that, but Loras is now a genuine power, Buena Vista is still a team that needs to be taken seriously, and now Simpson looks like it wants to make some noise as well.

Lackluster night or not, Hope has nice talent, and I expect Greg Mitchell's crew to have another legit stab at an MIAA title.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Intended to sleep on last nights game and then provide some thoughts with maybe a new perspective. Still just have a single thought - UGH!!!!

[pointlem]

Intended to sleep on last nights game and then provide some thoughts with maybe a new perspective. Still just have a single thought - UGH!!!!

Good synopsis, FDF.

I'd only add that I've been following Hope men's and women's BB long enough to see a team get blown out in an early season game--giving the impression of a long season to come--and then rebound from an off night to have a post-season tournament run. Not saying that's going to happen this year, but if everyone can get and stay healthy and if the new players can gain confidence, who knows. This week should give an indication.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Intended to sleep on last nights game and then provide some thoughts with maybe a new perspective. Still just have a single thought - UGH!!!!

Good synopsis, FDF.

I'd only add that I've been following Hope men's and women's BB long enough to see a team get blown out in an early season game--giving the impression of a long season to come--and then rebound from an off night to have a post-season tournament run. Not saying that's going to happen this year, but if everyone can get and stay healthy and if the new players can gain confidence, who knows. This week should give an indication.

Honestly was not thinking the performance last night was a bad sign for the entire season - but needs to drive improvement. Certainly expect an improved effort over the next week, but really don’t expect the team to be at full strength until December.   We’ve had plenty of .500 records during the first half dozen games in the past for teams that were ultimately NCAA tournament teams and won games in the tournament.

[sac]

Decent time to remind that at two key points for Hope last year they were 4-5 returning from Orlando and 10-8 leaving a Kresge shellacking. 

[Greek Tragedy]

Decent time to remind that at two key points for Hope last year they were 4-5 returning from Orlando and 10-8 leaving a Kresge shellacking.

Yeah, last season Stevens Point headed into their conference schedule with 3 losses in a row including two beat downs by Augustana and Whitman to finish off the non-conference slate at just 6-5.

[HOPEful]

I'm pumped for tonight's game. Luckily (or very possibly unluckily), we don't have to stew much longer wondering about Hope's putrid game in North Park... ONU comes to Holland tonight and we get to see either that the egg they laid against Simpson was a fluke or watch Ryan Bruns put on a show... maybe a little of both.