MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

All good, I met the infamous Knightslappy and had a nice post-game conversation.  The errant finger was under control, as far as you know.


Yeah it was a little ugly but I don't know what else you would expect when two good defensive teams play each other.  Scoring was hard and it should be.

Looking a the boxscore looks to me as if Calvin won the boards battle by keeping Adrian off the offensive glass just a little better.  Both teams must have really cleaned up the turnovers in the 2nd half, it was sloppy early, both teams looked tight.

--Brian Powell played with great effort, not always in control but great effort.  His diving attempt at a steal late in the game would make any major league scout think outfielder.  KVS showed great concern for his well being there.  Kind of funny.

--Calvin had Brandon Romain scouted perfectly, he was largely ineffective because they collapsed on him every time he drove the lane forcing a tough shot over taller bodies.  I forgot to really check it out but I think Calvin was taller at every position and that was a big factor in the game.

--Adrian hurt themselves at the line going 1 for 2 three straight times with under 7 to play those are big 3 points, that's where Calvin's 6 point lead came from and allowed them to control the last couple minutes.  Different ending with those FT's.  Also different ending if DeVries' dunk goes in, that little sequence kept Adrian in the game.


---I'm kind of surprised no one's mentioned it but Adrian was missing some guys.  Most notable their PG Daryl Flemister who's been playing 23 minutes per game, Ben Rodak a good look Fr., Sheldon Clay and Donovan Moore.  Only Moore is no longer on the roster.  Those guys missing makes a difference in depth and also in frequency of substitutions.

Good game, about what I expected.  The triumvirate of Calvin/Adrian/Hope games should be very good, if we can keep Sam Hargraves from messing things up this year I think we're in for a pretty good finish and tournament.

[sac]

Did he keep control of his 'errant finger'?

No; he used it to tap me on the shoulder when I was in the concession line, then took advantage of my surprise to slip in ahead and order before I could.

He probably had to do that out of worry that the VanNoord concession stand wasn't up to DeVos standards in the most vital stats area:

Fireplaces is about 3-0 though

[sac]

Ian Jackson took 26 of his teams 55 shots.  37 points.



Wow, Olivet really thumped Albion good, now Calvin comes to Kresge.  Could get really ugly.
http://miaa.org/mbb/stats/1213/0103olab.htm



Saturday, January 5
Calvin at Albion, 3 p.m.
Hope at Adrian, 3 p.m.
Olivet at Kalamazoo, 3 p.m.
Trine at Alma, 3 p.m.

I only put this here to point its all the 1-0 teams at all the 0-1 teams.

[sac]

Occasional mistakes notwirthstanding, I suspect--in case Alan Babbitt is reading this board--that most of us appreciate it when a local paper and reporter covers DIII sports as faithfully as the Sentinel does ... and which the GR Press Lakeshore once did, but, sadly, more occasionally now.  I also appreciative their occasional featuring of players who have excelled, or reporting human interest stories.

How many local papers send a reporter to cover a game involving their arch rival and a team 3 hours out of their delivery area?

The Holland Sentinel had Lee Lamberts at the VanNoord last night.

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/x1353229244/Calvin-College-mens-basketball-upends-seventh-ranked-Adrian-College



They also filed this, good to have you back Nate.
http://www.hollandsentinel.com/newsnow/x1665857520/Hope-College-mens-baketball-rallies-tops-Alma-in-MIAA-opener

Also its 39 in a row, not 36

[HopeConvert]

Here's the Press' version:

http://www.mlive.com/smallcolleges/grandrapids/index.ssf/2013/01/hope_men_battle_back_after_slo.html#incart_river_default

Honestly, I don't know what to make of this Hope team. I haven't been impressed with its defense, and the first half was "cover-your-eyes" ugly defensively. Alma was getting good lucks because Hope couldn't stop its dribble-penetration. This was in part a result of curious decisions, but also bad fundamentals. And I mean bad. The second half was a different story, particularly when Hope came out and trapped the first three (why only three?) possessions, but I'm still not sold on this team defensively. Ben Gardner was a gem off the bench. I'm happy to see him on the floor.

The big news of the night was Snuggerud's reemergence. Hope won't go anywhere without him. The freshmen are, well, freshmen: inconsistent and occasionally passive and sometimes have difficulty finishing a play. Snuggs can finish.

To me the most frustrating aspect of this team is the VanArendonk situation. I may be in the minority on this, but I think the kid can play. The problem is that Hope struggles to feed the post. That they can't figure out a way to get him more involved in the offense - he runs the floor well and works hard inside - continues to mystify me. He needs a confidence boost to be sure, but he's not going to get that if he only touches the ball twice a game.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Re: Calvin-Adrian
Enjoyed the game last night, great Calvin team effort.  A couple of thoughts:  I kept remarking throughout the 2nd half, it's strange but I never felt that the game was in jeopardy, even when we only had a <5 point lead most of the way. This Adrian team of course plays excellent defense and can compete with any MIAA team, but to me they played more like a team worried about preserving an undefeated record than an underdog with a chip on their shoulder like the past couple years.  I feel like they miss Delano Collins' floor leadership more than you'd think.  I am impressed with the energy on this Calvin team, special props to Mickey DeVries and Bryan Powell for their intensity last night.  Both are upperclassmen that have started before, now coming off the bench and embracing their role.  Speaking of embracing the role, I continue to see huge maturity gains for Tom Snikkers.  He is the leader of this team and it's great to see that he understands that he doesn't need to score 20 to be that leader. Small thing but as the team was whooping it up and heading to the locker room after the game he was the one player who took a quick moment to thank the fans for coming out, as if it was their pleasure to play for us. 

Re: Hope
While most of us watching from afar have been scratching our heads about Coach Neil's personnel management, I wonder now if it's actually been genius.  Snuggs clearly had to work some things out with his attitude but appears to be on track now.  If he had been coddled and not benched I wonder if the problems would have really been solved.  Now, his head and leadership are in the right place, and Hope has also developed some starting experience/playing time for some other guys that have stepped up lately.  Coach Neil seems that he has the guts to lead with principle.  Hope is definitely back in the mix--should be a great game at Adrian tomorrow.

[northb]

Question:  Who benefits the most from a shorter turnaround vis-a-vis Thursday then Saturday?

[KnightSlappy]

Question:  Who benefits the most from a shorter turnaround vis-a-vis Thursday then Saturday?

Probably not Adrian with the Calvin-Hope combo.
But also probably not Hope having to go to Adrian.

Maybe Calvin getting the Adrian game on the longer rest then getting to take a breather at Albion?

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Question:  Who benefits the most from a shorter turnaround vis-a-vis Thursday then Saturday?

Teams who don't have to wring 30+ minutes out of their top players every night.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Great 2nd half last night by the Dutchmen and we finally got to see some real Hope basketball - intensity on defense that then creates your offense.  According to the Coach Davelaar post game comments on the radio, Sr Captain Josh Holwerda stepped up at the half and inspired his team to victory.  Hopefully something that not just effected this game, but will drive the season going forward. 

I've noted of late that the 6 seniors on this team have become very vocal in their support of their teammates, whether it is from the bench or while they are on the floor.  I believe these guys have realized this is the time to just play, the last time for them, and despite the disappointing start to the season, they have the talent and the team that can win - the MIAA, the MIAA tournament, and beyond.  And, as noted by sac - great to have you back Snuggs - and I'm extremely happy to hear Nate's comments and commend him for his honesty (there is video of it as well- link below).  I sense this change in attitude not only from him, but the team as a whole.

Only time will tell if this is a "new beginning" for this team, but right now I'm very optimistic.  Go Hope!

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports_videos/x1353229250/HopeAlmaBasketball

[ziggy]

Looks like Adrian played someone tonight.

56-50 Calvin upsets Adrain

That was hardly an upset.  Calvin has more size, experience and shooting ability.  That was only as close as it was because Calvin played poorly.  Kruis has to learn to finish and Calvin has to get Snikkers the ball in the post more often.  Tough to watch Calvin make their offense so difficult.

When an unranked team beats the undefeated #7 team in the nation, it's an upset.

If the polls are your point of reference for determining and upset then there is nothing I can say to the contrary, other than to point out that polls are rather arbitrary and compiled by a limited number of people working with a limited amount of information.

Calvin may be unranked, even "very unranked" having not even received a single top 25 vote, but is that a true representation of their standing?

Take a look at Calvin compared to Illinois Wesleyan, currently ranked #25 in the latest poll for games through 1/1. Are the two teams really that different? My glasses are admittedly tinted but I'm having a hard time seeing a clear distinction.

IWU has losses to teams ranked number 341, 343 and 936 by Massey for all of college basketball.
Calvin has losses to teams ranked number 467 and 900.

IWU's "best" win was over Coe, ranked 846 by Massey (they've since beaten Wheaton but that game won't be up for consideration until next week's poll)
Calvin's "best" win was over Cornerstone, ranked 749 by Massey (same caveat applies regarding the win over Adrian)

IWU does hold two other top-1000 wins to strengthen their case as being worthy to be ranked ahead of Calvin at this point.

This is not to play the "no respect" card for Calvin or to denigrate IWU's season or call them unworthy of the Top 25 ranking in any way. It does go to show that Calvin may really be a fringe Top 25 team despite what the poll says. Add in home court advantage and last night's result should have surprised no one.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Question:  Who benefits the most from a shorter turnaround vis-a-vis Thursday then Saturday?

I say Hope - simply from a depth perspective.  The long trip to Adrian can be a factor, but much less so on a Saturday (no classes to deal with) than a Wednesday game.

Regarding depth and minutes played last night:

Hope:
Played 13 guys, 10 of them more than 10 minutes, only 1 guy over 25 minutes (Overway) and no one over 30.

Adrian:
Played 8 guys, but only 6 of them more than 10 minutes, with 4 guys over 25 minutes, and 3 guys over 35 minutes

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Question:  Who benefits the most from a shorter turnaround vis-a-vis Thursday then Saturday?

Probably not Adrian with the Calvin-Hope combo.
But also probably not Hope having to go to Adrian.

Maybe Calvin getting the Adrian game on the longer rest then getting to take a breather at Albion?

Wow - I certainly hope they consider at Albion a breather (emphasis mine)         

[Pat Coleman]

The only thing that surprised me about this entire circumstance is how high Adrian was in our last poll. Yikes. Good correction upcoming.

[sac]

The only thing that surprised me about this entire circumstance is how high Adrian was in our last poll. Yikes. Good correction upcoming.

It was a 6 point loss, on the road, to a good team.