MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[alexj35]

I just witnessed THE most poorly affiliated game in the history of the MIAA. Truly an embarrassing display in the Adrian/Olivet game. Someone deserves to lose their job. Olivet overcame soooo many obstacles tonight just to have lithe win ripped away from them. Y'all can call me bitter if you want but if you were here to witness it, I guarantee you would agree with me. One man in particular didn't even hide the fact that he was anti-Olivet... Disgusting...

[ziggy]

I just witnessed THE most poorly affiliated game in the history of the MIAA. Truly an embarrassing display in the Adrian/Olivet game. Someone deserves to lose their job. Olivet overcame soooo many obstacles tonight just to have lithe win ripped away from them. Y'all can call me bitter if you want but if you were here to witness it, I guarantee you would agree with me. One man in particular didn't even hide the fact that he was anti-Olivet... Disgusting...

I am trying to decide if this is better or worse than back in my student days when an actual Olivet player telling me and the other Calvin students in the vicinity that the refs were racist.

I'll wait to hear sac's report since his view will be unbiased.

[almcguirejr]

I just witnessed THE most poorly affiliated game in the history of the MIAA. Truly an embarrassing display in the Adrian/Olivet game. Someone deserves to lose their job. Olivet overcame soooo many obstacles tonight just to have lithe win ripped away from them. Y'all can call me bitter if you want but if you were here to witness it, I guarantee you would agree with me. One man in particular didn't even hide the fact that he was anti-Olivet... Disgusting...

Maybe you can get better affiliation next year in the WHAC.

[Knight2Day]

The last year of an 8-team tournament, and both the 3/6 and 4/5 games go into double OT.

And after watching the Calvin v. Trine game, it was a close game throughout and if Trine converted off the Danny Rodts TO, it would been a 3 pt game with 50 seconds to go

[HopeConvert]

Alma simply doesn't have the talent to compete with Hope. That said, Hope better shore up its interior defense for Friday's game. Ugh.

[almcguirejr]

Looks like knightslappy's "guaranteed" prediction came true. 3 technical fouls in 1 game keeps things interesting.

Trine with 2 intentional fouls and Calvin with 1 technical.

[KnightSlappy]

Looks like knightslappy's "guaranteed" prediction came true. 3 technical fouls in 1 game keeps things interesting.

Trine with 2 intentional fouls and Calvin with 1 technical.

The one on Rogers was quite interesting. A pivot-elbow to Snikker's head. I don't think it was really "intentional", but as oldknight said to me at halftime, it was Kooiker sending a message that the game wasn't going to get out of hand.

It was just minutes after Neil Smith tackled Snikkers on a breakaway layup attempt.

[sac]

I just witnessed THE most poorly affiliated game in the history of the MIAA. Truly an embarrassing display in the Adrian/Olivet game. Someone deserves to lose their job. Olivet overcame soooo many obstacles tonight just to have lithe win ripped away from them. Y'all can call me bitter if you want but if you were here to witness it, I guarantee you would agree with me. One man in particular didn't even hide the fact that he was anti-Olivet... Disgusting...

I don't know if I'd go as far as Alex, but I left feeling Olivet got the short end of things.  May have even told OCSID something with stronger words, I don't recall now.

The two technical fouls on Eric Mack were just awful, his first he was actually in or on his way to the huddle during a timeout, I didn't have a good view of it but I presume he was just trying to pump his guys up.  So I don't know exactly what happened, the T was a surprise to just about everyone there.  I did hear the official say quite clearly, unsportsmanlike conduct.

The second technical was absolutely a joke of a call.  Mack thought he had tied up a rebound and instead was called for a foul, as he's walking towards the bench he see's the official in front of him making the foul call to the table......then reacted, nowhere near enough to get T'd up especially not with 31 seconds left in a three point game in double OT.  The ref was way oversensitive and was just out of line on that one.  

The foul on the rebound was his 5th, the technical made it his 6th.......odd for sure.

To make matters worse for me not even a minute later, Mark White pulled one of the refs over after another tough call and said right to same refs face "that's bull****".....nothing called and it was far worse than anything Mack did, at least from my cheap seat.

A game that good deserved a much better ending in my opinion.



I think people might look at the foul and FT totals and feel something was amiss in other areas of the game.........however, Adrian was pretty aggressive going to the basket and earned the majority of those FT's.  Olivet shot a lot more jumpshots, hence fewer foul calls went their way.  Olivet really just couldn't stop Adrian going to hoop late in the game and OT, esp Jovon Mosley.  Olivet also missed at 2 front end of 1 for 1's, maybe 3.  Make those and its possible this game never goes to OT.

There were some other procedural things I need to look in a rule book for (it was that interesting).........needless to say I don't think Bradish(especially), Gilbert or Whitfield should be allowed anywhere near DeVos Fieldhouse this weekend until a thorough review of the game film is done by whoever is in charge of MIAA referees......including the end of halftime which was an incredible circus by itself.

I'm sure Gifford's review will have alot of   and   and probably a couple  .

[Pat Coleman]

The last year of an 8-team tournament, and both the 3/6 and 4/5 games go into double OT.

I had the same thoughts -- we're making the same note in our nightly wrapup.

[Civic Minded]

Whitfield has a habit of determining the outcome of MIAA tournament games.  He should be kept far, far away.  Won't happen, but... (still in disbelief about a tourney game 6 or 7 years ago, that's how bad it was).  Oh well.

I am sorry to hear that that's how things played out in Olivet.  It's a shame.

[sac]

Adrian 67 Olivet 64 2OT

So the game itself was really interesting and honestly had my full attention which is hard to do these days.  The first half was the deliberate defensive slugfest I expected.  The first 3 minutes foretold what was to come when both teams had the ball 4 times with zero points scored.

Adrian made an 11-0 run about midway through the half which was really a case of one team making all their shots and one missing all theirs in a tough defensive game.  Olivet went 0-3, Adrian 3-3 with 2 threes and 3 FT's in that stretch.  Olivet really played great defense, something they don't always do and kept Adrian from scoring the final 6 1/2 minutes and were down just 4 at the half.  Adrian could have easily applied the knockout blow but somehow it felt like they left Olivet in the game with Michael McClary with only 2 points and few touches.

Then came the circus......Adrian came out of halftime with only :23 on the clock so had no warmup.  Referee Bill Bradish decides they should get 2 minutes to warm-up and asks for 2 minutes on the clock.........of course by now the ball boys have dutifully put the ball rack away, so Bill hands the freaking game ball to Adrian and lets the Bulldogs warmup with the freaking game ball.  Finally a couple balls were thrown in and thankfully Bradish got the game ball before it disappeared among a flury of warmup shots........it was unfreaking believable to me.  Gifford and his assistants spent the entire 2 minutes uh, disagreeing with any ref who would listen to no avail.

I don't know if it sparked Olivet or their halftime adjustments did, I'll go with the halftime adjustments.  Which I think was "uh hey guys, get McClary the ball".  McClary hits his first two jumpers, Olivet gets a few fast breaks outscores Adrian 15-5 and takes a 6 point lead.  The tempo of the game was up, and much more exciting really.   From there it was a real chess-match of offensive and defensive matchups with both teams unable to really seize momentum.

Wes Reed is a 90% FT shooter and missed the 2nd of two that gave Olivet a chance to win.  McClary's long 18-20 footer from the right baseline bounced harmlessly off the top of the backboard, Matt El's rebound put-back rightfully waved off.

First OT was again the same defensive slugfest, with deliberate long posessions.  Cody Barnes struck the biggest shot of the game to that point when out of nowhere really made a 3, McClary followed with a patented McClary jumper.  Adrian hit 2 FT's which meant desperation time for Olivet.  They ran a decent enough play to get Edsall open for 3, his shot rattled out and Joe Post collected the rebound directly under the basket and somehow had enough time to scramble for the right corner and lineup a perfect looking 3, which swished at the buzzer to send it to a second OT.

Nathan Jennings had fouled out of the first OT, and when Matt El fouled out early in the 2nd OT, Olivet was left defenseless on the interior.  Paul Koviak played his only 4 minutes of the game in the 2nd OT, how's that for pressure.  Adrian pretty simply just drove to the bucket or posted up Olivet's guards and got to FT line and made enough to win.  Which included the previously mentioned technical madness.  The final few seconds included another long discussion by officials which of course was met with appropriate jeers by the home fans........it resulted in them agreeing that Michael McClary was fouled before touching the ball on a long pass but the 1 second that came off the clock should stay off..........what?      

A last desperate 3 for Olivet never materialized, as a well constructed long pass to McClary with a quick toss to Edsall for 3 was stolen.  Adrian could have made things a bit easier, as again 90% FT shooter Wes Reed missed a tech and another with 6 seconds left that could have iced it for good.

Adrian moves on and deservedly so in my opinion......I just wish the technical shenanigans could have been left out of it.   Adrian was probably going on to win, but it sure left a terrible taste in you mouth after watching almost 50 great minutes of terrific, competitive tournament basketball.

[Pat Coleman]

Then came the circus......Adrian came out of halftime with only :23 on the clock so had no warmup.  Referee Bill Bradish decides they should get 2 minutes to warm-up and asks for 2 minutes on the clock.........of course by now the ball boys have dutifully put the ball rack away, so Bill hands the freaking game ball to Adrian and lets the Bulldogs warmup with the freaking game ball.  

Is it not still the case that with three minutes left in halftime, if both teams and the officials have not returned to the floor, that the horn is sounded three times and the clock is stopped? Used to be the case.

[GoKnights68]

The last year of an 8-team tournament, and both the 3/6 and 4/5 games go into double OT.

And after watching the Calvin v. Trine game, it was a close game throughout and if Trine converted off the Danny Rodts TO, it would been a 3 pt game with 50 seconds to go

Calvin sure has had somewhat of a difficult time putting away Trine this year going by the game last week and tonight's game.  I have already said it before, but  I am not sure if I am a fan of the 3 man weave at the top of the key with a couple minutes to go still.

Prop's to Trine and Coach Harmon for coming out with a nice game plan.  Calvin's offense really looked stumped out there tonight.  It took them 17 minutes for the Knights to wake up.  And just when you think Calvin had it in the bag, Trine gave them all they can handle.  In a night where Brent Schuster just had 2 points, I will take any kind of W.  


I will be interested to see if and how well Calvin is able to break the press Friday (and possibly Saturday night), assuming if Albion tries pressing.

[sac]

I know these are 18-22 year old kids, but I'll be interested to see what Adrian and Albion have left in the tank.  Both faced tough games and finishes last week, and both played double overtime games last night.  At least in Adrian's case I thought this was a taxing physical game.

[oldknight]

Looks like knightslappy's "guaranteed" prediction came true. 3 technical fouls in 1 game keeps things interesting.

Trine with 2 intentional fouls and Calvin with 1 technical.

The one on Rogers was quite interesting. A pivot-elbow to Snikker's head. I don't think it was really "intentional", but as oldknight said to me at halftime, it was Kooiker sending a message that the game wasn't going to get out of hand.

It was just minutes after Neil Smith tackled Snikkers on a breakaway layup attempt.

Yup; I think pretty much everyone who saw the game agree the second intentional foul call wouldn't have been made absent Neil Smith's takedown of Snikkers on the breakaway. Rogers' foul wasn't flagrant; Smith's was.

For those who didn't see tonight's contest, it was an Albion game. MIAA fans know what I mean. Trine's defense was about physical and in-your-face as I've ever seen it and clearly had the Knights on their heels. During the regular season Calvin badly beat Trine on the boards but Trine was winning the rebounding battle for most of the first half before regression to the mean finally set in (for the game, Calvin outrebounded Trine 41-30).

An upset was brewing at the 5 minute mark of the first half with Albion--oops, Trine--leading by 11 before three critical plays involving Trent Salo allowed the Knights to rip off 16 straight to end the half. Trent hit a three to cut the Thunder lead to seven. Moments later Snikkers made a steal near midcourt and had a clear path to an open layup before being blindsided by Smith who simply cut the legs from Tom. I immediately looked to see where Salo was and what he would do. Trent made a beeline to Snikkers and placed himself directly in from of Tom to keep the young sophomore from retaliating as he was prepared to do. Though Snikkers missed both free throws, Salo immediately nailed another triple to make it a 31-29 game. By now the fans were as aroused as 847 can be and Trine never responded until the second half.

Calvin did a great job on Ian Jackson who was limited to 8 points on 2-14 from the floor and who was never a factor. While there were some individual breakdowns, as a whole Calvin defended well in the second half but I'm greatly troubled by the turnover situation. Calvin coughed up the ball 13 times in the second half and this late in the season that's way too many. Unless that changes the Knights won't survive the weekend.  Kruis was wonderful on the defensive end getting 8 boards, 2 blocks and several intimidations, but I'm still waiting for him to become a factor on offense. Snikkers was solid in limited play (20 minutes due to foul trouble) getting 18 points and 3 important steals, and freshmen Jordan Brink--despite a careless turnover with about a minute left--continues to impress, getting 14 points and nailing 6-6 down the stretch from the stripe. The kid is simply money from the line and is now 50-54 on the season.