MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Stinger]

Mark Ghafari has been named to CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team.   Great honor for Mark and his teammates, Kalamazoo College and the MIAA.

http://hornets.kzoo.edu/sports/mbkb/2013-14/releases/201402186htqhf

[sac]

Hope 110  Kalamazoo 78

Hope clinches a share of the MIAA Championship!

Kzoo just couldn't get many defensive stops, they actually played and shot the ball well themselves.  Hope was too much on the interior.

Hope:  VanArendonk 18, Byers 13, Neil 12, Eidson 11, Blackledge 11, Otto 10
Kzoo:  Dykema 20, Ghafari 18

[sac]

Alma 71  Adrian 60

Alma:  Beckman 24, Krause 10, Thurmond 10, Fairchild 10
Adrian:  Rodak 13, Jackson 13, Gordon 12, Swift 11

In his last 3 games, Alma's DJ Beckman has scored 60 points and shot 25-39 from the floor.  Exceptional jump shooter.


Albion 51  Trine  41

Albion wins the slugfest in Angola.  Interior D must have been very good for the Brits, I count only 11 points from Trine's forwards/centers and there's a good a couple of those were jump shots.  Holmquist held to 2 after tearing through most of the 2nd half of the MIAA schedule.

Albion:  Herron 13, Evans 12
Trine:  Dixon 14

[sac]

With Hope and  Albion's wins, our half tournament is set.  If Hope wins Saturday they win the MIAA Championship outright.

Albion gets the third seed with two wins over Trine.
Hope gets the one seed with two wins over Calvin.

#4 Trine at #1 Hope
#3 Albion at #2 Calvin

Rarity with Albion playing at Calvin on Saturday then again next week.

[oldknight]

A rather ho-hum 83-63 win for Calvin at VNA against an overmatched Olivet squad, though the hard-working Comets made the game a little closer than the final score indicated. Not much to remark on except the exceptional four minute stretch for Jordan Daley in the second half when he scored precisely half his game high 22 points. It was a solid floor game for Daley who went 8-12 shooting with 5 rebounds, one block, 2 steals, 7 assists and 0 turnovers.

[arena]

A rather ho-hum 83-63 win for Calvin at VNA against an overmatched Olivet squad, though the hard-working Comets made the game a little closer than the final score indicated. Not much to remark on except the exceptional four minute stretch for Jordan Daley in the second half when he scored precisely half his game high 22 points. It was a solid floor game for Daley who went 8-12 shooting with 5 rebounds, one block, 2 steals, 7 assists and 0 turnovers.

Now, if he can match that performance against H#*(, it would be even more impressive.

[almcguirejr]

Elmer Walcott, former coach at Western Michigan Christian, died yesterday.  He won won 4 state championships and was runner-up twice.  He was a fierce competitor and his teams reflected that.
http://localsportsjournal.com/2014/02/legendary-basketball-coach-elmer-walcott-passes-away-at-the-age-of-88/

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Rarity with Albion playing at Calvin on Saturday then again next week.

Makes me wonder if Saturday's "meaningless" Calvin-Albion tilt might be even more physical than usual.....

[sac]

Rarity with Albion playing at Calvin on Saturday then again next week.

Makes me wonder if Saturday's "meaningless" Calvin-Albion tilt might be even more physical than usual.....

This might just be my opinion on this but I really don't think Albion plays the same way they did under Turner.  To me what made his teams physical was a lot of off the ball contact, more holding, bumping and setting screens.  Coach May's teams seem to rely more on dribble penetration and one on one post play.  Its still physical its just a different kind of physical.

For one they don't really have the size or depth in the paint to get into wrestling matches so they seem to avoid that.  But I also think their guards are a little quicker these days and play defense with their feet and less with their hands like Mike's teams were very adept at doing.  I understand what Albion's reputation used to be but I just don't think they're like that anymore, at least not on the scale of the early/mid 00's Albion teams.

Team Fouls-Conference Only
Adrian       283
Olivet        257
Hope         248
Alma         239
Kzoo         219
Trine         215
Albion       204
Calvin       167

Looks like Saturday is more likely to be a regular pillow fight.   

Total game fouls-Conference Only:
Hope       497
Adrian      496
Olivet      482
Alma        466
Kzoo        460
Albion      446
Trine        421
Calvin      396

[BogeyMan]

Rarity with Albion playing at Calvin on Saturday then again next week.

Makes me wonder if Saturday's "meaningless" Calvin-Albion tilt might be even more physical than usual.....

This might just be my opinion on this but I really don't think Albion plays the same way they did under Turner.  To me what made his teams physical was a lot of off the ball contact, more holding, bumping and setting screens.  Coach May's teams seem to rely more on dribble penetration and one on one post play.  Its still physical its just a different kind of physical.

For one they don't really have the size or depth in the paint to get into wrestling matches so they seem to avoid that.  But I also think their guards are a little quicker these days and play defense with their feet and less with their hands like Mike's teams were very adept at doing.  I understand what Albion's reputation used to be but I just don't think they're like that anymore, at least not on the scale of the early/mid 00's Albion teams.

Team Fouls-Conference Only
Adrian       283
Olivet        257
Hope         248
Alma         239
Kzoo         219
Trine         215
Albion       204
Calvin       167

Looks like Saturday is more likely to be a regular pillow fight.   

Total game fouls-Conference Only:
Hope       497
Adrian      496
Olivet      482
Alma        466
Kzoo        460
Albion      446
Trine        421
Calvin      396

Sac - If you were Coach May, would you take your comments as a slap in the face, a compliment or factual commentary?

[sac]

Sac - If you were Coach May, would you take your comments as a slap in the face, a compliment or factual commentary?

Hopefully factual commentary.  As you know there are many ways to play this game.  Give Coach May some of the personnel Albion had in the mid-00's and maybe they're a more physical looking team.  Maybe in two years when his young team is older and bigger they'll play a more physical looking style.

Its all relative of course, I thought some of those Albion teams were some of the most physical games/teams I've seen.  By no means would I call this years Albion team soft but comparatively speaking Turners teams looked more physical to me.

[hope81]

Obviously a long way to go with the league tournament still looming, but if Hope were able to win out you have to wonder if they might be looking at hosting.  Just for information, the men's teams get preference this year for hosting the first 2 weekends.

[sac]

Obviously a long way to go with the league tournament still looming, but if Hope were able to win out you have to wonder if they might be looking at hosting.  Just for information, the men's teams get preference this year for hosting the first 2 weekends.

In our neck of the woods I think these 4 schools are nearly locks to host a pod
Stevens Point
Illinois Wesleyan
Washington
Wooster

Next likely to host
St. Thomas

Looks to me like we'll need 6 hosts in this part of the country.  One of these 4 could host and rankings suggest they are in the ballpark. 
St. Norbert
Hope
Whitewater
Mt. Union

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Obviously a long way to go with the league tournament still looming, but if Hope were able to win out you have to wonder if they might be looking at hosting.  Just for information, the men's teams get preference this year for hosting the first 2 weekends.

In our neck of the woods I think these 4 schools are nearly locks to host a pod
Stevens Point
Illinois Wesleyan
Washington
Wooster

Next likely to host
St. Thomas

Looks to me like we'll need 6 hosts in this part of the country.  One of these 4 could host and rankings suggest they are in the ballpark. 
St. Norbert
Hope
Whitewater
Mt. Union

I'm speaking from a place of ignorance here (I have no idea what the criteria for hosting are), so excuse me if this is a dumb question, but is there any chance that if Calvin runs the tables through the MIAA tourney they could enter this hosting discussion with a record of 22-5 and MIAA tourney champs?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Obviously a long way to go with the league tournament still looming, but if Hope were able to win out you have to wonder if they might be looking at hosting.  Just for information, the men's teams get preference this year for hosting the first 2 weekends.

In our neck of the woods I think these 4 schools are nearly locks to host a pod
Stevens Point
Illinois Wesleyan
Washington
Wooster

Next likely to host
St. Thomas

Looks to me like we'll need 6 hosts in this part of the country.  One of these 4 could host and rankings suggest they are in the ballpark. 
St. Norbert
Hope
Whitewater
Mt. Union

I'm speaking from a place of ignorance here (I have no idea what the criteria for hosting are), so excuse me if this is a dumb question, but is there any chance that if Calvin runs the tables through the MIAA tourney they could enter this hosting discussion with a record of 22-5 and MIAA tourney champs?

Highly unlikely I would think - given that they have not been and are not likely to be ranked (regionally).