MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Pat Coleman]

Why travel 250 miles for a game to appease committee members when you have some good competition in your own backyard? 

There's no need to go 250 miles. Q listed nearly a dozen schools closer than that that all qualify as regional opponents.

[sac]

All good stuff today guys,

2 points

1)  If the WHAC were a D3 conference the MIAA would be doing exactly what other D3 conferences are doing with a neighbor close by.  Playing them.  There would be 16 more in region games on MIAA schedules this year alone.  (Hope would have 5)

2)  In a conference like the MIAA and a Region like the Great Lakes that only ranks 6 teams,  if you don't make the Championship game of the conference tournament, your in-region record is mute anyway.

[sac]

A quick question -

Does anyone know if the new Cutler Event Center at Olivet is near their football field?

Thanks!

Not only near it, its right next to it.

[OC_SID]

A quick question -

Does anyone know if the new Cutler Event Center at Olivet is near their football field?

Thanks!

Not only near it, its right next to it.

sac is correct ... The Cutler Event Center was added on to the existing building by the football field ... The best way to come is get off I-69 at the Bellevue/Olivet exit ... When you get to the stop sign at Main Street, go straight and the parking lot entrance is on your right ... There should be plenty of parking.

[sac]

A quick question -

Does anyone know if the new Cutler Event Center at Olivet is near their football field?

Thanks!

Not only near it, its right next to it.

sac is correct ... The Cutler Event Center was added on to the existing building by the football field ... The best way to come is get off I-69 at the Bellevue/Olivet exit ... When you get to the stop sign at Main Street, go straight and the parking lot entrance is on your right ... There should be plenty of parking.

Driving to Olivet usually makes me so mad I can't help but turn off at the Ainger Road exit.

[Titan Q]

2) to point out that prior to CHNs post, the only folks who have posted anything about Hope's schedule and lack of D3 opponents this year have been two CCIW posters.  In fact, if you look back over the years (because this discussion has been ongoing for several years) you will note that the vast majority of the posts criticizing Hope's schedule (or the other MIAA teams have been included from time to time) have been from CCIW posters.  That begs the question, why do you care so much about Hope or any MIAA school's schedule? 

I think that is just a function of who spends to most time reading and participating on this board in general.  You've got Greg Sager (7800+ posts), Mr. Ypsi (9000+), and myself (4500+) who like to get in the mix here in MIAA land.  I think that is simply the crew of "outsiders" that posts the most here regardless of the topic.

[KnightSlappy]

A quick question -

Does anyone know if the new Cutler Event Center at Olivet is near their football field?

Thanks!

Not only near it, its right next to it.

sac is correct ... The Cutler Event Center was added on to the existing building by the football field ... The best way to come is get off I-69 at the Bellevue/Olivet exit ... When you get to the stop sign at Main Street, go straight and the parking lot entrance is on your right ... There should be plenty of parking.

I just looked at pictures of the New Cutler Center and it looks very nice!  I am glad to see that OC decided to hang lights up in this gym, now I can stop taking my flashlight to the games.     Now if only we can get AQ to turn the lights on for games at their gym...

[realist]

Blah, blah, blah.  The same dumb in region conversation version 09.
Long ago I made peace with the idea that the NCAA has it's own agenda, and if that conflicts with commons sense, reason or logic too bad.  Learn to live with it.
FWIW:  Yes, I do think some schools take other things besides W/L in region record into consideration when setting a schedule.  Playing in the NCAA tournamnet is an incentive to the players, coaches, and schools, but not at the price of having to sacrifice core values or simply being a good neighbor.  Calvin scheduled CU years ago to try help a neighbor build a solid program (perhaps they shouldn't have cared or worked so hard).  The same is the case with scheduling Grace Bible, and when one hears that Grace beat Ferris State obviously Calvin and Hope can take some measure of satisfaction in helping them improve their team.

[ziggy]

Blah, blah, blah.  The same dumb in region conversation version 09.
Long ago I made peace with the idea that the NCAA has it's own agenda, and if that conflicts with commons sense, reason or logic too bad.  Learn to live with it.

Maybe they will take up a peninsula clause

[ziggy]

Why travel 250 miles for a game to appease committee members when you have some good competition in your own backyard? 

There's no need to go 250 miles. Q listed nearly a dozen schools closer than that that all qualify as regional opponents.

They qualify for Hope, you can knock out at half that list for Calvin.  It comes down to a difference in philosophy that seems to have worked out well for each side of the debate.  I don't think criticism is warranted either way.

[OC_SID]

A quick question -

Does anyone know if the new Cutler Event Center at Olivet is near their football field?

Thanks!

Not only near it, its right next to it.

sac is correct ... The Cutler Event Center was added on to the existing building by the football field ... The best way to come is get off I-69 at the Bellevue/Olivet exit ... When you get to the stop sign at Main Street, go straight and the parking lot entrance is on your right ... There should be plenty of parking.

Driving to Olivet usually makes me so mad I can't help but turn off at the Ainger Road exit.

As long as you know where to go from there, feel free to exit there   

[HopeConvert]

http://www.calvin.edu/news/2007-08/vannoord-steel.htm

I find it interesting that one-third of Calvin's "No Greater Task: hearts and minds renewing God's world" $150 million capital campaign has been spent on facilities for the body. I think Calvin needs to move to a tripartite anthropology. That way they can lay down $50 million for hearts and another $50 million for minds.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I have no insight to the scheduling motivations of anyone but I really doubt the folks at any school think how they could help "local school X" grow by scheduling them.

Your assumption here is incorrect.

I think that is just a function of who spends to most time reading and participating on this board in general.  You've got Greg Sager (7800+ posts), Mr. Ypsi (9000+), and myself (4500+) who like to get in the mix here in MIAA land.  I think that is simply the crew of "outsiders" that posts the most here regardless of the topic.

True - but then why is it when I see this discussed on other boards, it is still the CCIW posters who bring up Hope and the MIAA? 

[Roughrider]

A quick question -

Does anyone know if the new Cutler Event Center at Olivet is near their football field?

Thanks!

Not only near it, its right next to it.

sac is correct ... The Cutler Event Center was added on to the existing building by the football field ... The best way to come is get off I-69 at the Bellevue/Olivet exit ... When you get to the stop sign at Main Street, go straight and the parking lot entrance is on your right ... There should be plenty of parking.

Driving to Olivet usually makes me so mad I can't help but turn off at the Ainger Road exit.

As long as you know where to go from there, feel free to exit there   

All you need to know about The Cutler Event Center, including directions and campus maps, can be found right here:

http://www.olivetcollege.edu/athletics/pdf_docs/visit_team_guide.pdf

Props to Olivet for putting this link on their website.  Nicely done!   

RR

[hope_hoops1]

Here's my two cents on the in-region/out-of-region scheduling for Hope.  The NCAA requirements are what they are.  Should they be tweaked, definitely, but the standards have been in place for some time now.  At the D3 level, it's going to be hard for people to pick an at-large team because they cannot travel to see every team or watch them on TV.  So, what it comes down to is record and a skewed strength of schedule.  It's impossible to impose a true strength of schedule as you can't differentiate between NCAA and NAIA teams.  To try to compare apples to apples, I'm assuming the NCAA set up the in-region standards so teams are being compared against other teams playing the same competition.  Again, not necessarily the best answer, but it is what it is.  Someone who is 18-4 in their region is equally as likely to be better than someone who is 10-7, even if their overall records are 22-7.

Hope could definitely improve on their holiday tournament scheduling.  I would think teams would love to play at the DeVos.  While some may see Hope/Calvin as a powerhouse and don't want to risk the loss, good teams like Elmhurst, B-W, Wash. U, etc. have been willing to make the trip to Michigan in the past.  Hope's difficulties come in the fact that they seem to like to play familiar faces in these tournaments (whether it be for recruiting advantages - Aquinas, Davenport, Cornerstone, Spring Arbor or something else - Grace Bible, Madonna, Judson), none of which are eligible for in-region games.

I like Hope's record to be good just as much as the next guy (or gal).  But I'd also rather see Hope hosting more NCAA games (losses to Wittenberg and Wash U. for example) or not having to rely on winning the MIAA tournament to get in, and to this, they need to follow the current NCAA standards, because I don't see it changing anytime soon.