MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

realist · January 17, 2009, 05:16:58 PM

Another fantastic rivalry game. It went pretty much like I figured it would with Calvin winning a close one. I don't think either team has anything to feel they left undone. Hope had the ball in their man's hands, and today just wasn't his turn to make "the shot". Great games by the people that really need to step up in these situations. Hope never relented, and kept plugging. I give Hope a ton of credit they refused to let Calvin deliver a knock out punch. Perhaps the rivalry experience overcame the home court advantage in this encounter.

Dark Knight · January 17, 2009, 05:27:38 PM

Wow! Another great game!

I can't believe Calvin overcame a 16-5 turnover differential. Better rebounding by the Knights in the second half played a big part.

Now the question is going to be whether Calvin's defense took Hope out of their game or whether Hope just had an off shooting night.

Did my eyes deceive me, or did Zwier really hit a pair of threes?

The big story for the Knights is that (despite all the hand-wringing) they clearly have the best defense and rebounding in the MIAA.

ziggy · January 17, 2009, 05:35:32 PM

Quote from: Dark Knight on January 17, 2009, 05:27:38 PM

Did my eyes deceive me, or did Zwier really hit a pair of threes?

It was a pair, if the banked three still counts...

HopeConvert · January 17, 2009, 06:06:04 PM

Quote from: Dark Knight on January 17, 2009, 05:27:38 PM
Wow! Another great game!

I can't believe Calvin overcame a 16-5 turnover differential. Better rebounding by the Knights in the second half played a big part.

Now the question is going to be whether Calvin's defense took Hope out of their game or whether Hope just had an off shooting night.

Did my eyes deceive me, or did Zwier really hit a pair of threes?

The big story for the Knights is that (despite all the hand-wringing) they clearly have the best defense and rebounding in the MIAA.

Not so clearly on the defense. I think Hope had an off shooting game. Lots of open looks they simply didn't knock down. I don't think I've seen that many in and outs before.

HopeConvert · January 17, 2009, 06:14:26 PM

It seems axiomatic in basketball that if a player picks up a second foul in the first half they have to sit. I don't get the axiom. You keep a player off the floor because you don't want a player off the floor? As one of our esteemed posters likes to point out: all minutes are created equal. They all count.

goodknight · January 17, 2009, 06:17:51 PM

That's your youth talking, HC. I've seen that many shots -- and more -- hiccup out in a Calvin-Hope game plenty of times. But I'm almost as old as St. Bonnie.
It was a terrific atmosphere for another great rivalry game, and I always feel privileged to see so many of these games in person. The drive home, though treacherous, was full of merriment. As is the celebratory Heineken. 8)

HopeConvert · January 17, 2009, 06:23:59 PM

Not so merry in my car.

Especially since I was on the phone with a good friend who teaches at Calvin.

Hope shot 3-24 from 3-point range. 12.5% won't get it done. And it's not as if they were launching absurd shots. They had lots of open looks. They weren't even able to bank one home.

Calvin shot a more respectable 6-17 beyond the arc for 35.3%. Included in that are the aforementioned bank and a deep, step-back rainbow from Veltema as the clock expired.

I'm surprised the rebounding margin was as close as it was. Calvin seemed to me to be dominating the boards.

pointlem · January 17, 2009, 06:34:24 PM

It was a pair, if the banked three still counts...
[/quote]

Some of us call such shots "Winkles" . . . in honor of a similarly off-target Calvin long 3-pointer some years ago that was a game winner.

Other observations

For Hope to shoot 3 of 24 on 3's (1 of 7 each from the normally reliable JR and PB) and still have a great chance to win it at the end perhaps bodes well for Hope. Five turnovers was amazing.
Yes, HopeConvert . . . shall we now call it the Krombeen rule: 2 1st half fouls and you can't play any more, on the assumption that 2nd half points count more?
Watching the jv game . . . Gustav Nystrom looks like he could provide another point guard. His strength, one-on-one dominating moves, shooting, and even hair remind me of Kent Raymond (albeit against a different level of competition). I anticipate we'll see more of him next year.

This year's Hope team again looks very well coached . . . improving month by month and everyone seeming to know and execute their roles. Allowing for an off-shooting afternoon, I can't recall when I've seen a team develop so nicely during a season.

northb · January 17, 2009, 07:00:47 PM

Quote from: pointlem on January 17, 2009, 06:34:24 PM

This year's Hope team again looks very well coached . . . improving month by month and everyone seeming to know and execute their roles. Allowing for an off-shooting afternoon, I can't recall when I've seen a team develop so nicely during a season

Calvin '05 was like that

pointlem · January 17, 2009, 07:51:56 PM

Three other observations:

Once again, Caleb Veldhouse and John Mantel excelled, and right out of the box in the first half. Calvin fans, someday you'll feel the same ambivalent mix of admiration and anguish over David Krombeen that we Hope fans have felt watching Caleb in his best moments ... like draining shot after shot today at the beginning and then drilling that key 3 near the end
Win or lose, "the rivalry" is a happening . . . an intense, packed crowd . . . even good student chants right off the bat: "This is our house." "Our house is bigger." "We fill our house [or something to that effect]." I have also been impressed by the sportsmanship this year . . . no whining over referee calls.
And speaking of calls . . . Calvin fans, it looked to many of us like Jesse had a clean block on that foul call that led to the winning free throws. Was this the refs deciding the game? (I'll grant, you were closer.)

Titan Q · January 17, 2009, 08:17:44 PM

Just got done watching the Hope/Calvin game (I Tivoed it off satellite broadcast). Great ending - very exciting. Too bad my buddy from Chicago randomly texted the final score today to ruin the drama!!

This is the only time I've seen either team play this season, so take this for what it's worth, but my main takeaway was that it seems Hope has almost zero inside presence. The Dutchmen spread the floor nicely and great good perimeter shots, and also create a lot of good one-on-one opportunities for players to dribble drive to the basket. But there just does not seem to be any back-to-the-basket guy to dump it down to, or maybe more importantly, to keep the defense honest. Not sure if Hope has a big guy hurt?

After Calvin went back up 1 inside a minute and Hope had the ball with about :40 to play, the Dutchmen had 5 guys outside the arc for a good portion of that possession. They got a great look, but again, it was a perimeter shot...as was the final shot under 10 seconds. Great teams always have the good big guy down low to provide more options in those situations.

For Hope, that Bowser guy made about 3 shots that made me say, "wow." Seems really athletic. Do they usually get him more shots? And the spin move that freshman made in the final minutes (to his left) was big-time.

Calvin looked good to me - very balanced. Calvin has a really nice inside presence with Mantel and (can't remember the other name), and Veldhouse is terrific on the perimeter. Where Hope is missing a good 5, it seems like Calvin is missing a good 3 - a guy who could make 3's and also break the defense down. But Calvin seems like a very dangerous team...one that could do damage in the tournament.

Again, it was my first look at both, but I left the TV broadcast feeling like Calvin is the better team due to its size and balance. They looked like a Top 25 team to me.

HopeConvert · January 17, 2009, 08:18:01 PM

Quote from: pointlem on January 17, 2009, 07:51:56 PM
Three other observations:

Once again, Caleb Veldhouse and John Mantel excelled, and right out of the box in the first half. Calvin fans, someday you'll feel the same ambivalent mix of admiration and anguish over David Krombeen that we Hope fans have felt watching Caleb in his best moments ... like draining shot after shot today at the beginning and then drilling that key 3 near the end
Win or lose, "the rivalry" is a happening . . . an intense, packed crowd . . . even good student chants right off the bat: "This is our house." "Our house is bigger." "We fill our house [or something to that effect]." I have also been impressed by the sportsmanship this year . . . no whining over referee calls.
And speaking of calls . . . Calvin fans, it looked to many of us like Jesse had a clean block on that foul call that led to the winning free throws. Was this the refs deciding the game? (I'll grant, you were closer.)

Jesse did have a clean block. I believe they called that foul on Krombeen (a push, it appeared).

The Dew Crew yelled back "You can't fill it" to the "Our's is bigger" chant. I rather liked that.

It was pretty intense in there today. I'm consoling myself with the knowledge that even though our point guard sat virtually the whole first half (picked up his second at 18:57), and we were ice cold from 3-point range, and our best player had an off game, and we lost a player to an ankle injury, we still had a chance to win it at the end. You couldn't ask for more on that final shot: your best player taking a wide-open jumper from 15 feet. It just wasn't his day today (despite his 20 point and 13 rebounds).

Pointlem: Indeed. Let's call it the Krombeen rule from now on.

monsoon · January 17, 2009, 08:41:36 PM

I haven't seen them much this year either, Titan - but I think your observations are good ones.

Not the result I would have liked, but fun game to watch. Am glad I made the drive around the lake today, and thankfully the roads were actually better coming home (in the snow) than they were on the way up (in the sun). Go figure.

almcguirejr · January 17, 2009, 09:25:29 PM

Calvin Sports Information Article:

http://www.calvin.edu/sports/news/comments/calvin-takes-sole-possession-of-first-place-in-miaa-standings-with-thrillin/

KnightSlappy · January 17, 2009, 09:27:35 PM

Quote from: pointlem on January 17, 2009, 07:51:56 PM
Win or lose, "the rivalry" is a happening . . . an intense, packed crowd . . . even good student chants right off the bat: "This is our house." "Our house is bigger." "We fill our house [or something to that effect]." I have also been impressed by the sportsmanship this year . . . no whining over referee calls.

The two gentlemen wearing the speedos were very classy as well...