MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

They'll be here to give their views of what the team did wrong, I'm sure.  Or they'll praise MN for giving minutes to the underachieving senior forward.

Right because Calvin fans race home after losses to praise the other team.

So true, indeed.  No Hope posters tonight?

Its a 2 hour drive from Olivet to Holland for most of the ones who used to post with more regularity around here, a little less for me, sorry I wasn't quicker.  I'm happy to say I've always been here win or lose whether you want me to be or not.  Can't say that about other schools 'fans' can we.

[sac]

If you've followed the last two MIAA seasons Hope won those two by 4 and 5 games.  This year it looks like Calvin and Hope have flipped the script with Calvin being the more mature veteran team and Hope the team struggling with identity and youth.

Hope's not good enough to waltz into opposing gyms in this league and play like they have the last two games.  They'll lose a couple more if they do (actually they're running out of road games but you get the point).

Hope, Trine, Adrian and Olivet will have quite a fight for the 2-4 spots in the MIAA tournament and I think Olivet has a real shot if they can win a couple road games.  I can see them going 6-1 at home easily.

[wiz]

And now Calvin prepares to travel to Olivet while Hope hosts Trine.  We'll get to see a first round finish that should add a telling chapter to this year's MIAA story.

[calvinite]

With MIAA results today in mens basketball and mens swimming and diving (Calvin defeated Hope), Calvin is in a position to follow up its historic fall season of 6 MIAA titles with 4 MIAA titles in the winter (mens and womens basketball and swimming teams are in contention/lead for MIAA titles). The end of the season is a long way off, however. Speaking of historic performances, Clarissa VerKaik scored over 2,000 career points in Calvin's womens victory over Rochester (74-54).

[GoKnights68]

And a hush falls over the crowd...

So true, indeed.  No Hope posters tonight?

They'll be here to give their views of what the team did wrong, I'm sure.  Or they'll praise MN for giving minutes to the underachieving senior forward.

I am happy to see that Snuggerud got 27 minutes.  That's a good indication his back must be getting better. I heard that after coach Neil's post game interview on Wednesday that Snoggs re-injured it running to the table.

that was pretty funny but lets not get  ahead of ourselves.  We were just in Hopes position last year.

[almcguirejr]

Olivet 68  Hope 65
http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/mbb/stats/1213/0119olho.htm

Can't say I didn't try to warn people. 

I've seen Olivet four times now, they've been better each time I've seen them.  Charlie Coles has them playing hard and with a belief they can win.  The stuff he runs with them to get 3 point shooters open is good and difficult to defend and when they hit those shots they're tough to beat.  They outscored Hope by 30 back there with the Dutchmen being little threat at all there themselves and that's the difference in the game really.

TJ Vondette really stepped up today and hit the big shots he was given, in the absence of Garner Small his points were big.

It was a little eery how this game mirrored the Adrian/Olivet game I saw a couple weeks ago, also in that one Olivet hit big 3's at the end to win it.

Maybe the most improved aspect of the Olivet program is their interior defense, they doubled the post pretty well and made things a lot more difficult for Hope than they'd like especially early on in the ball-game.  Gradually Hope turned that in their favor but it took awhile.


This was a one point game with 5 minutes to play and both teams turned it over 5 times in the last 5:40 of the game.  Either team could have pulled this out easily with some better and smarter ball handling.

Sac, you're showing your age.  It's Charlie's son, Chris, coaching Olivet.

[sac]

Olivet 68  Hope 65
http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/mbb/stats/1213/0119olho.htm

Can't say I didn't try to warn people. 

I've seen Olivet four times now, they've been better each time I've seen them.  Charlie Coles has them playing hard and with a belief they can win.  The stuff he runs with them to get 3 point shooters open is good and difficult to defend and when they hit those shots they're tough to beat.  They outscored Hope by 30 back there with the Dutchmen being little threat at all there themselves and that's the difference in the game really.

TJ Vondette really stepped up today and hit the big shots he was given, in the absence of Garner Small his points were big.

It was a little eery how this game mirrored the Adrian/Olivet game I saw a couple weeks ago, also in that one Olivet hit big 3's at the end to win it.

Maybe the most improved aspect of the Olivet program is their interior defense, they doubled the post pretty well and made things a lot more difficult for Hope than they'd like especially early on in the ball-game.  Gradually Hope turned that in their favor but it took awhile.


This was a one point game with 5 minutes to play and both teams turned it over 5 times in the last 5:40 of the game.  Either team could have pulled this out easily with some better and smarter ball handling.

Sac, you're showing your age.  It's Charlie's son, Chris, coaching Olivet.

Yikes, thanks and fixed.  Feeling my age too thanks.

[calvinite]

Even with Hope struggling, Overway continues to tear it up. I knew he was scoring, but I didn't realize he also leads the league in assists. I seem to remember someone posting that Hope would be in trouble if Colton was doing all the scoring.... While this appears to be the case, Hope fans sure can't complain about the way he's playing. Not only is he scoring and dishing out assists, but he is listed on the MIAA statistic leaders page for (FT percentage, 3 pt. percentage, BLOCKED SHOTS--tied for 8th, Assist/turnover % -- 5th). He's also in the top ten for minutes played which probably helps a little with his statistics. He seems to be doing it all -- a bright spot in Hope's current struggles. A healthy, contributing Snugs like we saw at the end of the season last year along with what Overway is currently doing would test almost any DIII team.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Sacs post pretty much sums it up. Turnovers were a real killer for Hope tonight, something they have struggled with too often this year. And yes, it does take a couple hours to get home from Olivet - you know actually attending an away game has that drawback.   

[oldknight]

http://www.freep.com/article/20130116/SPORTS07/130116031/MSU-recruit-Harris-says-he-ll-play-football-not-hoops-college

The much discussed Drake "committed but still looking" Harris will give up basketball in college and focus strictly on football. He was spotted at the Breslin tonight taking in the MSU win over Ohio State, a guest of Mark Dantonio. No doubt the coach was trying to move Harris into the "committed and entirely faithful" category. Based on recent experience, I recommend that.

[oldknight]

I see Carthage validated their win of last week over previously no. 1 ranked North Central with another upset today, beating Wheaton 62-61. That loss Calvin suffered in early December to the Red Men doesn't upset me quite as much now and I feel less rankled.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I see Carthage validated their win of last week over previously no. 1 ranked North Central with another upset today, beating Wheaton 62-61. That loss Calvin suffered in early December to the Red Men doesn't upset me quite as much now and I feel less rankled.

If there is a more Jekyll-and-Hyde team in all of d3 than Carthage, I have no clue who it would be.  They STILL have an overall losing record, yet they have beaten THREE Top 25 teams!  (And tonight they did it without their best player!)

[Titan Q]

I see Carthage validated their win of last week over previously no. 1 ranked North Central with another upset today, beating Wheaton 62-61. That loss Calvin suffered in early December to the Red Men doesn't upset me quite as much now and I feel less rankled.

The Carthage team that beat Calvin on December 1 was way better, personnel-wise, than the one that beat Wheaton last night. 

http://athletics.carthage.edu/custompages/Men's%20Basketball/2013%20Stats/miaa3.htm

http://athletics.carthage.edu/custompages/Men's%20Basketball/2013%20Stats/wc1.htm


Against Calvin, 6-5 center Tyler Pierce had 23 pts and 10 rebounds...and 6-9 sophomore PF Luke Johnson had 12 pts and 8 rebounds.  Pierce missed last night with injury and Johnson now plays for D3 Benedictine.

[KnightSlappy]

Calvin now up to 16 in the Massey ratings. Defense up to 10.

[Roundball999]

Without Garner Small having played, Olivet still leads Hope at the half, 34-28. Hope is 0-6 from the arc and has committed 12 turnovers.

Snugs with 13 minutes.

And VanArendonk with a goose egg. He did manage to grab one rebound in zero minutes though. Put that in your TI calculator to come up with a 40 minute average and watch it explode.

EDIT: They just changed it and gave him 1 minuteof pt. Darn! I wanted to see fireworks.

And like a lot of games, he has 2 fouls in less than 1 minute of play

What, no follow up comments about 7 pts, 5 rebs in 11 minutes?