MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[wiz]

Congrats. to Hope for winning the MIAA.

I hate it when that happens.

Amen to that, but they did what they had to do, when it had to be done.

And they will be hoisting a new banner soon.  Big night in Holland.

[D-III Insider]

Can anyone really argue that this is a down year for the MIAA? 

Parity is one thing that the league has never been known for and I don't think it is this year as much as mediocrity.  I cannot remember Calvin ever being this medicore and for 5 or 6 teams sharing 6-5 league records shows it has not been a banner year for the conference.  When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

Has Adrian and Kalamazoo really shown that much improvement or are they simply benefitting from a down year?   I cannot comment on either of these teams since I have not seen them play this season.

 

[AndersDY]

Hope 63 Olivet 60

Tight game all the way, biggest lead for Hope 5, Olivet 3. 14 ties.  Bowser and Tanis combined for 8 points 4-22 shooting, the rest were 21-38 shooting.

Olivet:  McClary 21, 13 rebounds, Mack 12, Edsall 10
Hope:  Neil 17, Krombeen 12, Dickerson 10, Snuggerud 10

FYI, the final was actually 65-60 as Colton tacked on 2 FTs with .1 second left to ice the cake after that great block. Things definitely got weird in the last couples minutes with Hope's offense starting to stand still, but getting just enough good shots and FTs to keep the lead. The officiating also drew some puzzled looks toward the end (and Olivet had a couple legitimate beefs along with what we saw from the Hope side) so I was glad to see that Colton's final block was clearly clean so at least that play didn't raise any complaints.

[wiz]

Can anyone really argue that this is a down year for the MIAA? 

Parity is one thing that the league has never been known for and I don't think it is this year as much as mediocrity.  I cannot remember Calvin ever being this medicore and for 5 or 6 teams sharing 6-5 league records shows it has not been a banner year for the conference.  When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

Has Adrian and Kalamazoo really shown that much improvement or are they simply benefitting from a down year?   I cannot comment on either of these teams since I have not seen them play this season.

 

The league is down significantly from prior years.  Kalamazoo and Adrian have improved substantially.  Anyone of 6 or 7 teams have a chance to win the league tournament. None have a chance of going beyond one or two games in the NCAA tournament.

[sac]

Can anyone really argue that this is a down year for the MIAA? 

Parity is one thing that the league has never been known for and I don't think it is this year as much as mediocrity.  I cannot remember Calvin ever being this medicore and for 5 or 6 teams sharing 6-5 league records shows it has not been a banner year for the conference.  When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

Has Adrian and Kalamazoo really shown that much improvement or are they simply benefitting from a down year?   I cannot comment on either of these teams since I have not seen them play this season.

 

The league is down significantly from prior years.  Kalamazoo and Adrian have improved substantially.  Anyone of 6 or 7 teams have a chance to win the league tournament. None have a chance of going beyond one or two games in the NCAA tournament.

The league had its best non-conference record in 3 seasons, and it played a pretty tough non-league schedule.

I disagree completely that this league is down from recent seasons.

[sac]

When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

The last 3 years

[Gregory Sager]

When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

The last 3 years

D-III Insider must be waaaay inside.

[wiz]

Can anyone really argue that this is a down year for the MIAA? 

Parity is one thing that the league has never been known for and I don't think it is this year as much as mediocrity.  I cannot remember Calvin ever being this medicore and for 5 or 6 teams sharing 6-5 league records shows it has not been a banner year for the conference.  When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

Has Adrian and Kalamazoo really shown that much improvement or are they simply benefitting from a down year?   I cannot comment on either of these teams since I have not seen them play this season.

 

The league is down significantly from prior years.  Kalamazoo and Adrian have improved substantially.  Anyone of 6 or 7 teams have a chance to win the league tournament. None have a chance of going beyond one or two games in the NCAA tournament.

The league had its best non-conference record in 3 seasons, and it played a pretty tough non-league schedule.

I disagree completely that this league is down from recent seasons.

You are entitled to that opinion but an improved nonconfernece record does not by itself mean a league is better than before.  I would add to my previous post that Hope is playing about as expected, Calvin and Albion have been disappointing, and Trine is much better than their record indicates.  It won't be long and we will get a good look at how the MIAA fares in the NCAA tournament.  It will be telling.

[D-III Insider]

The last three years only 1 MIAA team has made the NCAA tourney?  Wow I guess the league has fallen in the level of play.  I did not realize only the tourney champ has been invited for three years.  

Guess I have been following the NCAC and OAC much more in recent years.  Any MIAA fans going to travel to Ohio for the NCAA tourney?

[AndersDY]

I want to know when the conference has ever been clinched a early as this, with an outright champ with 3 games remaining. Was everyone that far behind in 1995? Given how strange this conference season has gone all year, particular with parity, I did not expect we'd get to the last week of the season with nothing in doubt.

Great first season for Coach Neil. We have had several scary games with the meaty center of the conference, but we have found ways to pull those games out. All this after losing contributors like Bunn early on.

[AndersDY]

Guess I have been following the NCAC and OAC much more in recent years.  Any MIAA fans going to travel to Ohio for the NCAA tourney?

Whoa:

horse..................................................................................... cart

I would likely try to get down to OH if we are sent there instead of IL, but we are a long way from having that situation worked out.

[oldknight]

Can anyone really argue that this is a down year for the MIAA?  
Parity is one thing that the league has never been known for and I don't think it is this year as much as mediocrity.  I cannot remember Calvin ever being this medicore and for 5 or 6 teams sharing 6-5 league records shows it has not been a banner year for the conference.  When is the last time only 1 MIAA team made the NCAA tournament?

Has Adrian and Kalamazoo really shown that much improvement or are they simply benefitting from a down year?   I cannot comment on either of these teams since I have not seen them play this season.

 

Well, actually I can.

I agree fully with sac. Calvin may be down but I don't think the league is at all. There is a lot of good young talent in the MIAA and the conference should be even better next year. I have seen all except for three Calvin games this year and tonight's contest was the best 40 minutes I've seen played against the Knights this season. The pasting by Adrian at Van Noord was no fluke even if the Bulldogs' shooting was more spectacular than they could reasonably expect it to be. Don't let the final score fool you; Adrian completely dominated play on the defensive end. The Bulldogs' defensive quickness and intensity didn't allow Calvin any good looks in the first half and that explains Calvin's 7-27 shooting at the break. Adrian showed that if you have a team that will defend the perimeter, and challenge Calvin to try and beat you with a post-up game, you can expose some weaknesses in the Knights' offense. Schuster wasn't able to contribute at all, going 0-2 in 30 minutes of PT. One positive for Calvin was their rebounding, especially on the offensive boards where they snared 19 for the game. In the second half, Calvin had 10 offensive rebounds and Adrian had only 9 total rebounds.

I have much respect for Mark White and what he has done in less than two years. I saw his high school teams play several times when he was at Detroit Renaissance and he brings the same hard-nosed, intense, never-say-die attitude to the MIAA that he did when he brought his prep squads to the Breslin. He did make a curious decision--and in my view, a mistaken one--after calling a timeout with just under 4 minutes left when Adrian led by 15. He chose to go to a full court pressing game at precisely the moment when Calvin had to abandon any caution to try and get back in the game. Why White would choose to shorten the length of possessions in a game he had well in had was a bit mystifying to me, particularly since Calvin had the double bonus. Sure enough, Adrian quickly fouled Powell and Calvin went on to score 8 straight points to close the gap to seven. But I quibble; Adrian is the better team right now and White's guys were ready.

[oldknight]

Wow, congrats to Coach White and Adrian tonight.  They put on a clinic at Van Noord.  They were patient for the right shot, hit the open shots, and make you work for EVERYTHING.  Snikkers earned his 18 tonight.  KVS seemed strangely subdued tonight during the game, and even got called to the carpet a bit by Wentworth on the post game show.  After KVS said he was happy with the effort, Doug told him that he was sugarcoating it, and told him that he got beat a team that's not that great, Adrian at 6-5.  I think KVS was taken aback by the question.

As was I. That exchange was as frosty as the crisp evening air outside Van Noord. I also think Doug was quite wrong and showed disrespect to an Adrian team that is far better than his comment suggested. The game Adrian brought to Knollcrest campus would have probably beaten anyone in the MIAA tonight.

[Knight2Day]

Now the big question, where does Calvin go after this season? Ride off into the sunset of mediocrity?

[Adrian Hoops Fan]

Oldknight, thanks for given this bulldogs team credit.  I have been around many teamsand I personally haven't seen another team with the personality of this team.   They are the lunch box  and hard-hat workman mentality.  They don't really care about much but winning, they have no problem winning a low scoring game that only a die hard  basketball fan appreciates.  Much like Coach White, they like the disrespect. They dont have the one player who will bail  them  out offensively on a consistent basis, but the confidence and defensive intensity is there. 
I have never been a fan of Hope or Calvin or Albion for that matter but I respect their programs and the consistency of success.  Hopefully, this is Adrian making a step to put their name as a perennial contender.  To sweep Calvin, is a huge accomplishment but we still want more.