MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[ziggy]

Might I suggest a new idea to rid the board of the recent negative sentiments?
We package them up and celestis handles the rest.  The only problem is that we would need to raise $12,500.
Details at: http://www.celestis.com/

[Gregory Sager]

OK - I'll preface this with my karma-busting confession that I think soccer is a consummately stupid game, so it doesn't surprise me that you could be completely outplayed and still win or draw.

One of the reasons it would be easier in soccer, and even hockey, to be outplayed and still win or draw relates to the number of meaningful scoring opportunities a team has over the course of the game. In basketball a team is going to have a large number of scoring opportunities and, accounting for turnovers and rebounds, roughly the same number as the opposition. This would make it less likely that a team can lead in 11 of 12 statistical categories and still lose the game. I can't imagine, for example, a team doing better than another team in rebounding, FG%, and turnovers and still losing the game. Perhaps if the other team had an extraordinary 3-pt% and hoisted a lot of shots. Even then... Part of what makes basketball so great is that the team that plays better wins, even if it isn't always the better team that plays better, which is interesting in its own right. One of the appeals of March Madness, I think, is that the best team doesn't always win (NC State '83, Villanova '85, Indiana '87, Duke '91 and so on).

(This relates to the reason why I oppose a playoff in DI football, but that's another story - and it also involves Abraham Lincoln.)

You oppose a playoff in DI football because you lost a $5 bet?   

No, he opposes a playoff in D1 football, and he once got into a debate about it with a short, stout man who looked a lot like Stephen Douglas.

[hope_hoops1]

A few random thoughts from me on the world of sports this week, some pertaining to D3 basketball and others not:

1. There's no question Kent Raymond is the DIII player of the year.  The #1 team in the nation becomes an average CCIW team without him.

2. Similar arguments can be made for Desmond Young for MIAA MVP as his team would be far worse without him than Hope or Calvin (w/o Reimink or Mantel).  However, his team must finish 4th or better to be considered because a valuable player on a losing team doesn't count for much if you can't will your team to a few wins.

3. I can't get enough of the Kurt Warner story.  I'm hoping for a Rams...er...Cardinals victory in this one, but can anyone tell me why the Super Bowl isn't played on Saturday?  It wouldn't be competing with college football and it's not a short week of preparation with the week off in between.  Give me a Saturday game so I can enjoy the whole game without worrying about getting up for work in 6 hours.

4. Final conference predictions:
1t Calvin
1t Hope
3 Olivet
4 Adrian
5 Albion
6 Alma
7 Kalamazoo
8 Trine

All-MIAA
Young - AD
Veldhouse - CAL
Reimink - Hope
McClary - OL
Mantel - CAL

[northb]

Might I suggest a new idea to rid the board of the recent negative sentiments?
We package them up and celestis handles the rest.  The only problem is that we would need to raise $12,500.
Details at: http://www.celestis.com/

This is very weird to me: honor the dream and memory of your departed loved one by launching a symbolic portion of cremated remains into Earth orbit, onto the lunar surface or into deep space.

Send me $5 and I will send a commomorative scorecard from you favorite (or least favorite) MIAA-related contest into deep space.  You'll have to trust me on that, but it will be on the very next shuttle.

That's $5 ($10 if your least favorite is connected with Baldwin-Wallace) to

Northb
1 Borneveryminute Way
Suckersville, MI
79274

[Gregory Sager]

1. There's no question Kent Raymond is the DIII player of the year.  The #1 team in the nation becomes an average CCIW team without him.

There's plenty of questions as to whether or not Kent Raymond will be the D3 player of the year. He's missed three games already. He may miss more. And if and when he returns, he may not be the same player he was. His health situation appears to be as closely-guarded a secret as Fidel Castro's. You don't win awards by negation (i.e., by how badly your team misses you in your absence). You win awards by actual performance.

[realist]

Thanks GS:  I think sometimes people confuse team MVP and conference MVP.  Even Trine has an mvp.
No doubt Mr. Young is the MVP of the Adrian team, and perhaps Mr. Raymond is at Wheaton.
Choosing a conference MVP involves a different set of dynamics, and from my research yesterday it is obvious it is very hard to win the MVP in the MIAA without playing on the team that wins the MIAA.  It happened once since 00.  At this point I would say the Mr Young's chances are much lower than either Mr. Rieminks or Mr. Mantels.  Caleb was not having an MVP type year even before his injury. 
IMHO they could do away with the mvp, and we wouldn't miss it.  

[sac]

MIAA teams in the National stat leaders

FG %
66. Adrian

FT %
6. Olivet
31. Hope
57. Kalamazoo

Rebound Margin
19. Calvin

Assists per game
13. Olivet

Assist/Turnover Ratio
19. Hope
27. Olivet
51. Adrian
69. Calvin
72. Albion

Blocked Shots
20. Olivet
60. Hope

Turnover per game
11. Albion
13t Hope
23. Adrian
40. Calvin

Turnover Margin
47. Hope
48. Kalamazoo
52. Albion

Personal Fouls per game
35. Adrian
48. Calvin
70. Kalamazoo


Updated levels of competition off the supercomputer

Calvin
Hope
----------------
Olivet
Albion
Adrian
----------------
Kalamazoo
Trine
Alma

[sac]

Inividuals in the national stat leaders

Points per game
12. Desmond Young, Adrian
14. Jesse Reimink, Hope
57t Brandon McClary, Olivet

FT%
2. Andre Evans, Olivet
6t Peter Bunn, Hope

Rebounds per game
19. Michael McClary, Olivet

Assists per game
17. Michael Staley, Adrian

Blocked shots per game
49. Michael McClary, Olivet

Steals per game
50. Jesse Reimink, Hope

Assist/Turnover Ratio
16. Joe Post, Olivet
46. David Krombeen, Hope
72. Michael Staley, Adrian

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/rankings?sportCode=MBB&rpt=wkly

[wiz]

I've been reading the posts the last few days and getting quite a chuckle, but now I'm confused.  When I go to the MIAA pick 'em site, do I list the team that wins the game and wins the score, or can I also get credit if they win the game and lose the score?  Please help me.

[sac]

.......and the beat goes on.

[Erm Schmigget]

I've been reading the posts the last few days and getting quite a chuckle, but now I'm confused.  When I go to the MIAA pick 'em site, do I list the team that wins the game and wins the score, or can I also get credit if they win the game and lose the score?  Please help me.

Die horse, die!

[CalvinChelseaMom]

I've been reading the posts the last few days and getting quite a chuckle, but now I'm confused.  When I go to the MIAA pick 'em site, do I list the team that wins the game and wins the score, or can I also get credit if they win the game and lose the score?  Please help me.

Die horse, die!

I think the horse is dead...that's the problem.

Looking forward to a lot of good games this week.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

I've been reading the posts the last few days and getting quite a chuckle, but now I'm confused.  When I go to the MIAA pick 'em site, do I list the team that wins the game and wins the score, or can I also get credit if they win the game and lose the score?  Please help me.

only if they weren't supposed to win

[hoopdreams]

Does veldhouse get an All-MIAA nod because of his career, or simply his play this season?  I have watched Calvin play 4 times, and with the exception of the first 5 minutes of the Hope/Calvin game, his play has been merely average.  Without looking up his stats, or comparing them to the past 3 years, I'm guessing they're not exactly glowing.  Add in the fact that the last two games, albeit injury haven't helped him, and who knows when he'll be healthy enough to contribute more than for morale purposes.

Bunn, Redditt or someone else may be more deserving of the spot come season's end.   After admiring Veldhouse's play for what seems like 10 years, I hope it all comes together for him during the rest of his senior season (except Hope games). 

[sac]

Does veldhouse get an All-MIAA nod because of his career, or simply his play this season?  I have watched Calvin play 4 times, and with the exception of the first 5 minutes of the Hope/Calvin game, his play has been merely average.  Without looking up his stats, or comparing them to the past 3 years, I'm guessing they're not exactly glowing.  Add in the fact that the last two games, albeit injury haven't helped him, and who knows when he'll be healthy enough to contribute more than for morale purposes.

Bunn, Redditt or someone else may be more deserving of the spot come season's end.   After admiring Veldhouse's play for what seems like 10 years, I hope it all comes together for him during the rest of his senior season (except Hope games). 

Now that the MIAA has gone to 6 players on the first team its pretty much assured a good player will be left off.

Right now, I have Desmond Young, Jesse Reimink, Brandon McClary, and John Mantel penciled in as first teamers.  That leaves just two spots...........Michael Staley, Jordan Redditt, Peter Bunn all seem like they could fit into the 5th and 6th spots with Matt Wayne, Andre Evans, Drew Yancey right there.  Veldhouse fits in there somewhere, but has he outplayed those guys in MIAA play ?(sans the injury).  As of Saturday his teamate Dustin Smith is averaging more points in league play.

Its going to be a tough vote at the end of the year.  Last year VanSolkema would certainly have been 1st team if they still voted for eight, instead he was on the 2nd team.