MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[devossed]

ooohhh (cringing) 4 feet? how miniscule and trivial...
darn dow center. darn last-second shots. darn ohio schools.

[MIAAFAN3002]

Thanks Sac, The starters are usually the first 5 players.  I didnt even think about it.
Crawford is early season MVP for sure

[MIAAFAN3002]

FDF,
Alma might be better off without Jones.  Its addition by subtraction.  I know Adrian was better the year after Brooks and Walter graduated.  I could be wrong but its just a thought.

[David Collinge]

Calvin is coming to Wooster to play in the Mose Hole Classic (between Christmas & New Year's Day) next season.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

MFAN - you might be right - he was their best player - but they are probably a better team without him

[MIAAFAN3002]

FDF, i take it you are being sarcastic? 

[GoKnights68]

Back to the rankings thing.  It is the same for college football.  The rankings depend on where you were ranked pre-season, so it would be harder for Hope to move past Albion no matter how much better Hope is playing than Albion.  Albion started higher than Hope because of how much better Albion did at the end of the year than Hope.  That's what pre-season rankings seem to go a lot on.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

MFAN - you are very perceptive 

[sac]

goknight---Jan 11  Hope at Albion......the Dutchmen will get their chance to possibly pass Albion then.





On the subject of MIAA vs Ohio schools........it comes up every year but I believe the fact the conferences don't get together very often has more to do with logistics.

The Ohio schools are simply a long way away......Its over 3 hours to Ada from Holland the closest Ohio school.  Add another hour or 2 to get to places like Denison, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan Otterbein etc.  Does it make sense for any of these schools to drive 5 hours when they can find equal or better competition with a closer school.  No offense to our friends in Ohio but Chicago is much more attractive destination.

The other issue is simply schedule availability, the OAC and NCAC are bigger conferences and have fewer open dates available for non-conf games throw in their own tournaments and the dates available grow smaller.

Its not as if these conferences don't get together, they do just not as often as we'd all like.  As DC mentioned Calvin's headed to Wooster next year, as they did a couple years ago I believe.  Kalamazoo was there this year and also a couple years ago.  Albion always has a regional foe in its tournament.  John Carroll will be coming to Holland in a couple weeks.  Olivet will be at Wittenberg.

The top teams in the Region annualy  Wooter, Witt, Hope, Calvin, Albion, JCU, BW etc certainly don't matchup very oftern if at al but I don't think thats much different than most other Regions.


To date

vs NCAC
Adrian 61 Oberlin 51
Wabash 73 Alma 54
Wooster 84 Kalamazoo 66
Wabash 82 Tri-State 70

vs OAC
Albion 75 Baldwin-Wallace 72

[Picket Fence]

The Ohio schools are simply a long way away......Its over 3 hours to Ada from Holland the closest Ohio school.  Add another hour or 2 to get to places like Denison, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan Otterbein etc.  Does it make sense for any of these schools to drive 5 hours when they can find equal or better competition with a closer school.

And we arrive at the problem of the regional rankings determining NCAA tournament seedings and births.

I have no inside information about scheduling, just an assumption.  Because MIAA schools struggle to get out of conference regional games even with the 200 mile rule (you know, the water and all) I was just assuming that the MIAA schools would be more than happy to do a home and home with an Ohio school.  The Ohio school gains nothing and gives the MIAA school another regional game, and if the Ohio school loses, that could hurt them come tournament time.  The MIAA schools have great incentive to travel to Ohio, why would anyone in Ohio come to Michigan? Especially Grand Rapids and Holland?

[Picket Fence]

And we arrive at the problem of the regional rankings determining NCAA tournament seedings and births.

That should be regional games determining NCAA tournament seedings and births.

Am I the first person to quote myself?

[Dark Knight]

...NCAA tournament seedings and births.

The mind boggles at that mental image.

[Dark Knight]

Mr. Massey has decided not to post his predictive, margin-of-victory-based ratings this year. The reasons he gives are a conflict of interest with his role in the BCS, unwanted association with gambling, and, oh yes, "building partnerships with individuals and organizations that privately support my work via revenue generating client service agreements." I hope he can earn a living that way -- and maybe offer individual subscriptions?

However, the rankings based on won/lost outcomes (not margin-of-victory) are up again, at http://masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb. These basically rank teams according to the quality of their victories and losses.

Here's the top 10 in D-III according to Massey:

1 Wooster         
2 Wittenberg     
3 Hamilton     
4 Augustana IL
5 Hope       
6 IL Wesleyan
7 Worcester Tech     
8 WI Stout         
9 Lawrence         
10 N Central IL

Of these, Wittenberg had by far the hardest schedule.

Here are the MIAA's rankings:

    5 Hope                 
  39 Albion               
  56 Calvin             
156 Alma               
206 Olivet MI         
237 Tri-State IN     
253 Adrian
275 Kalamazoo     

This is out of 395 D-III teams. Look at that Albion ranking -- not very high because they've had an easy schedule. Only Alma's and Adrian's have been easier in the MIAA.

Calvin's schedule so far has been the toughest by quite a bit, at 28th toughest in D-III.

[Dark Knight]

For those of you who are curious about the CCIW vs. the MIAA, here's how those conferences stack up currently, according to Massey:

	#4 Augustana
#5 Hope
	#6 Il Wesleyan #10 North Central #30 Elmhurst
#39 Albion #56 Calvin
	#126 Carthage #143 Wheaton
#156 Alma
	#161 Millikin
#206 Olivet #237 Tri-State #253 Adrian #275 Kalamazoo
	#323 North Park

[Titan Q]

Dark Knight, it is way too early to really even look at the computer-based polls like Massey.  There just aren't enough games built in right now for Massey to be credible.

By about late January Massey starts shaping up and starts to pretty accurately reflect the best teams, toughest schedules, etc.