MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[almcguirejr]

Off Topic:  Jim Schipper had the Indiana-Iowa game tonight.  He'll get some TV time because he stepped in between a couple of guys jawing at each other.

[ziggy]

OK is right. I was following along with the technologies afforded by the internet age but there were significant issues with the live scoreboard and the data entry it requires through a large stretch of the part of the game in question.

Its my understanding that the normal stat guy was elsewhere on the Olivet campus, and that the crew doing the game was probably not used to the set-up at Olivet, its probably not like what they have at Calvin.

Its just a hunch.

I didn't mean to sound like I was placing blame on the operator(s). I've watched enough scoreboards to expect some issues along the way and just figured there was some equipment malfunction or wire crossing. Those things happen. It also means that the final product is often unreliable for telling the whole story.

[sac]

Albion 66 Adrian 57

Looks like Chris Hutton went a little crazy from 3, 6-8 and the Britons only turned the ball over 5 times.  That's excellent vs that defense.  Hardly any difference in the stats

Albion:  Hutton 26, Kazan 13, Smith 11
Adrian:  Gallant 17, Reed 14



Olivet 71 Calvin 69

Michael McClary......The End!

Calvin:   Snikkers 19, Rodts 18
Olivet:   McClary 29, Bramer 10



Trine 75 Kzoo 74

Drama, two lead changes in the last 13 seconds......I think we all knew Trine would win one eventually vs someone above them.

Kzoo:  Clark 22, Prepolec 17, Fishman 17
Trine:   Jackson 21, Rogers 18, Pearcy 15, Veach 10


Standings  +1 for road win/-1 for home loss


Hope    9-1     +4
Calvin   6-4     +1
Olivet   6-4     +1
Albion   6-4      +1
Adrian  5-5      0
Kzoo    5-5      0
Trine    2-8     -3
Alma    1-8     -4


Wednesday, February 9
Kalamazoo at Alma, 7:30 p.m.
Albion at Trine, 7:30 p.m.
Adrian at Calvin, 7:30 p.m.
Olivet at Hope, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 12
Trine at Olivet, 3 p.m.
Alma at Calvin, 3 p.m.
Hope at Adrian, 3 p.m.
Kalamazoo at Albion, 7:30 p.m.


Seriously I don't think this week could have gone any better for Hope.   Three up with 4 to go, words I didn't think I'd say about the Dutchmen this year.   Welcome back to Olivet who gets the blue ribbon for the week with 3 wins, 2 on the road and a third vs Calvin.  Oh and hey, look who Hope can clinch at least a share of the MIAA against Wednesday night......Olivet!


Here's what everyone has remaining

Hope:  Olivet, @ Adrian, Albion, @ Kzoo
Calvin:  Adrian, Alma, @ Trine, @ Albion
Adrian:  @Calvin, Hope, @ Alma, Trine
Olivet:  @ Hope, Trine, @ Kzoo, Alma
Albion:  @Trine, Kzoo, @Hope, Calvin
Kzoo:  @ Alma, @ Albion, Olivet, Hope

Alma:  Kzoo, @Calvin, Adrian, @Olivet
Trine:   Albion, @Olivet, Calvin, @ Adrian

[sac]

Off Topic:  Jim Schipper had the Indiana-Iowa game tonight.  He'll get some TV time because he stepped in between a couple of guys jawing at each other.

Jim is a quality official, I have a feeling our league will be missing him in the near future.

[sac]

So far, 9 of the 12 games this half of the season have been a different result than the first time.

[Pat Coleman]

Mr. Wentworth is correct.  Next year the tournaments for all league sports go to four team tournaments.  This is to reduce travel expense and mainly to reduce time away from class.

It also reduces the risk that a team with no real chance of representing the conference well will get hot and 'steal' the AQ.

It also takes away one built in in-region game from a conference with geographical limitations that other d3 schools do not have to face.

I have one thought


1) I don't like it

+1 for succinctness.

I don't much like when conferences take opportunities to compete away from student-athletes. That's one less game for four teams.

[oldknight]

I watched my first ever game at Cutler. There was a KnightSlappy sighting in Olivet but alas, no ziggy. Some wussy excuse about the weather making the roads too difficult. Give me a break.

There was also a Mike Maciasz sighting. Last week McClary passed Maciasz as the career scoring leader at Olivet. Before today's contest tipped off there was a presentation at mid-court with Maciasz presenting the game ball from last week's contest to McClary. It was a nice touch and a warm embrace between these two big men who played 40 years apart. I saw them both play so you know I really am an old knight. Maciasz was a fine big man but McClary is better and he demonstrated it today.

McClary effectively decided the game when--with Calvin leading 44-41 early in the second period--he went off for 14 straight points in about a four minute time frame, interrupted only by a missed free throw, to put Olivet up 55-44. Calvin was playing catchup the rest of the game and just couldn't quite get over the hump. McClary not only scored 29 for the game, he did a great job on the other end as well, limiting Schuster to 1-5 from the floor. McClary was in Brent's face all night, even defending well outside the arc, and barely allowed Schuster to breathe. It truly was a spectacular performance and my emotions alternate between being sad and glad to see him leave conference play after this season. It would be a shame if he isn't first team All-American and get a ticket to the D3 All-Star game in Salem.

Even with McClary's heroics Calvin would have won the game if they had either limited Olivet's second shots or shot a little better from the arc. The stat sheet is a little suspect but I believe the part that records 15 offensive rebounds to the Comets. Olivet was given way too many second chances. The stats also show Calvin went 3-18 from the three point line--and that includes the last triple made by Rodts in the final ten seconds which was too little, too late. The Knights got double-doubles from both Rodts and Snikkers but Calvin could have used a third scorer in this game and just didn't get it.

BTW: Don't believe the stat sheet's failure to record any blocked shots by anyone on either team. There were several.

[Erm Schmigget]

Mr. Wentworth is correct.  Next year the tournaments for all league sports go to four team tournaments.  This is to reduce travel expense and mainly to reduce time away from class.

It also reduces the risk that a team with no real chance of representing the conference well will get hot and 'steal' the AQ.

It also takes away one built in in-region game from a conference with geographical limitations that other d3 schools do not have to face.

I have one thought


1) I don't like it

+1 for succinctness.

I don't much like when conferences take opportunities to compete away from student-athletes. That's one less game for four teams.

You mean one less game for eight teams.

[Mr. Ypsi]

4 less games, but not necessarily one less for eight teams.  Depends on who wins the first round.  If 1-4 loses, they have the same number of games; if 5-8 wins, they have 2 (or more) extra games!

While I understand this argument (and am not necessarily against it), I also think the postseason should be a reward for doing well in the regular season.  If a team only came in 7th over the course of the entire conference season, are they really deserving of 'another bite at the apple'?

Should ALL postseason tourneys be open to everyone?

After the IWU national title in baseball, I'm certainly not necessarily saying the answer is 'no'!   (But they did have to make a 4-team conference tourney before their inexplicable title run. )

[Pat Coleman]

Mr. Wentworth is correct.  Next year the tournaments for all league sports go to four team tournaments.  This is to reduce travel expense and mainly to reduce time away from class.

It also reduces the risk that a team with no real chance of representing the conference well will get hot and 'steal' the AQ.

It also takes away one built in in-region game from a conference with geographical limitations that other d3 schools do not have to face.

I have one thought


1) I don't like it

+1 for succinctness.

I don't much like when conferences take opportunities to compete away from student-athletes. That's one less game for four teams.

You mean one less game for eight teams.

Duh. What you said!

[arena]

Anyone have any insights on how the JV teams across the MIAA have been playing?

[sflzman]

Mr. Wentworth is correct.  Next year the tournaments for all league sports go to four team tournaments.  This is to reduce travel expense and mainly to reduce time away from class.

It also reduces the risk that a team with no real chance of representing the conference well will get hot and 'steal' the AQ.

Yes, talking to a few people in the Alma Athletic Department, they said that the schools that made the push for the change were Hope and Calvin. Then a few others sat in line behind them...

[pointlem]

I have one thought


1) I don't like it

Rarely do I disagree with Sac, but I applaud the MIAA's following the lead of other conferences such as the CCIW and moving to a four-team playoff.  The first-round games have tended to be the lowest-attended games of the season, often blow-outs, and involving a lambs-to-the-slaughter #8 having to travel late on a school night to face #1, and #7 to face #2.  Moreover, any team that hasn't finished in the top half of its conference likely has no realistic chance of significant success in the NCAA tournament.  DIII's focus is student-athletes, as I think the MIAA has appropriately recognized.

[BogeyMan]

Can anyone come up with a year (team) where someone other than the top four seeds won the MIAA Tournament?

[ziggy]

I watched my first ever game at Cutler. There was a KnightSlappy sighting in Olivet but alas, no ziggy. Some wussy excuse about the weather making the roads too difficult. Give me a break.

Aw geez. Those of us on the other side of the state were treated to an aftershock of Wenesday's snowmageddon. Mrs. Ziggy and I made the trek as far as Ann Arbor before we smartened up and checked the radar only to see that the whiteout conditions we were experiencing should be expected all the way across I-94.

See you on Saturday.