MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Stinger]

"Mitchell spends much of his time pacing back and forth on the court a foot into the playing surface, careful to stay just out of touch of the players but looking as if his instincts are urging him to signal for a pass."

Wonder Mitch got this from...

[gohope]

"Mitchell spends much of his time pacing back and forth on the court a foot into the playing surface, careful to stay just out of touch of the players but looking as if his instincts are urging him to signal for a pass."

Wonder Mitch got this from...

Joe???!!!!               KIDDING!!! 

[Stinger]

"Mitchell spends much of his time pacing back and forth on the court a foot into the playing surface, careful to stay just out of touch of the players but looking as if his instincts are urging him to signal for a pass."

Wonder Mitch got this from...

Joe???!!!!               KIDDING!!! 

Nah, all of his stomping was done outside the sideline 

[arena]

"Mitchell spends much of his time pacing back and forth on the court a foot into the playing surface, careful to stay just out of touch of the players but looking as if his instincts are urging him to signal for a pass."

Wonder Mitch got this from...

Joe???!!!!               KIDDING!!! 

Nah, all of his stomping was done outside the sideline 

Need to see a back flip from him.

[sac]

"Mitchell spends much of his time pacing back and forth on the court a foot into the playing surface, careful to stay just out of touch of the players but looking as if his instincts are urging him to signal for a pass."

Wonder Mitch got this from...

Joe???!!!!               KIDDING!!! 

Nah, all of his stomping was done outside the sideline 

Need to see a back flip from him.

and snow angel.

[sac]

Hope's next opponent Stevens Point is playing at St. Olaf tonight.  St. Olaf made last years tournament so a good look at the Pointers vs a good opponent maybe.

video:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/stolaf/portal.htm?eventId=164012&streamType=video

St. Olaf 70 UWSP 69

Good defensive 2nd half from St. O turned the game.  Good team coming to Holland Saturday.

[pointlem]

Hope's next opponent Stevens Point is playing at St. Olaf tonight.  St. Olaf made last years tournament so a good look at the Pointers vs a good opponent maybe.

video:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/stolaf/portal.htm?eventId=164012&streamType=video

St. Olaf 70 UWSP 69

Good defensive 2nd half from St. O turned the game.  Good team coming to Holland Saturday.

Great blog write-up on the game, SAC . . . keep 'em coming.

[John Gleich]

Hope's next opponent Stevens Point is playing at St. Olaf tonight.  St. Olaf made last years tournament so a good look at the Pointers vs a good opponent maybe.

video:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/stolaf/portal.htm?eventId=164012&streamType=video

St. Olaf 70 UWSP 69

Good defensive 2nd half from St. O turned the game.  Good team coming to Holland Saturday.

What's your take on how the game was called (specifically in the last, I dunno, 0:02.7)?  Yes, this is a leading question....

Never mind, didn't see your post on the WIAC board.

Had been hoping to come to... Hope... this weekend, but couldn't work it out in the schedule. :-(

[oldknight]

Watching DJ Beckman at VNA. He has put up 25 on OWU with 5 minutes to go. Still can't believe Hope missed out on this kid.

[sac]

notable score:

DePauw 71  Anderson 52
Anderson attempted 23 three-point shots (made 6) in a much lower possession game than the Calvin/Anderson game.



No Kevin Gamble for Alma tonight in their loss to Ohio Wesleyan.

[realist]

Finally a final 4 matchup between Calvin and Hope in VA.
I know O T, but still nice to see two MIAA teams make it this far.  MIAA team will be in national final for 3rd time in 3 years, and 4 times in 5 years. 

[oldknight]

An 87-71 Calvin win over Waynesburg tonight as the Knights broke away from a hotly contested game and dominated the last 10 minutes of play. In the end, Calvin simply had too many weapons for a feisty, Mark Christner coached quintet that ran out of gas, even as the Knights offense continued to purr. Jordan Brink's play is quickly becoming so routine you hardly even notice he scored 19, grabbed 7 boards, dished 6 assists, and had 2 steals and 2 blocks. That's a career game for most players but Brink made it look ordinary. Jordan Daley is warming to play at the 3 spot where he's a tough matchup. He's too quick for most defenders who normally guard an opponent's 3 and when the floor is spread he's very good at attacking the basket.

Unfortunately, for the second game in a row the Knights gave up too many open looks as the Yellow Jackets stayed in the game from arc. Despite missing their last 3 or 4 triples, the visitors still shot 10-21 from outside. Most disappointing to me was Calvin getting outrebounded in the first half, letting Waynesburg get numerous second and third chances by grabbing 10 offensive boards the opening 20 minutes. Calvin also failed to get many reachable 50/50 balls. By halftime Waynesburg had taken an astounding 16 more shots than Calvin.

Other game notes:

--Dan Stout started and played 15 minutes which is several more than I expected. He was extremely effective down the stretch when Calvin pulled away.

--Connor VanderBrug scored 10 more (in only 18 minutes) and looked very good. He still has a lot to learn but seems to now realize that his teammates are very good players too and Connor doesn't have to do everything for his team like he did when he was in high school. VanderBrug is a very tough matchup at the D3 level and has to be one of the best freshmen in the country at that level. Has a superior offensive skillset.

--17 more turnovers tonight for Calvin. I know the Knights are playing a higher energy offense than we are used to seeing, but that number has to change.

--Brad Visser logged 27 minutes tonight which has to be a career high, scoring 12 points. He can be a maddening player to have on your team, often dribbles too much, but there's no question he is an extremely creative scorer who makes fans of both teams hold their breath.

--By my count Jordan Brink went over the 1000 point mark and now stands at 1012.


DJ Beckman finished tonight's opening game with 32 points against Ohio Wesleyan.

[maroonandgold]

An 87-71 Calvin win over Waynesburg tonight as the Knights broke away from a hotly contested game and dominated the last 10 minutes of play. In the end, Calvin simply had too many weapons for a feisty, Mark Christner coached quintet that ran out of gas, even as the Knights offense continued to purr. Jordan Brink's play is quickly becoming so routine you hardly even notice he scored 19, grabbed 7 boards, dished 6 assists, and had 2 steals and 2 blocks. That's a career game for most players but Brink made it look ordinary. Jordan Daley is warming to play at the 3 spot where he's a tough matchup. He's too quick for most defenders who normally guard an opponent's 3 and when the floor is spread he's very good at attacking the basket.

Unfortunately, for the second game in a row the Knights gave up too many open looks as the Yellow Jackets stayed in the game from arc. Despite missing their last 3 or 4 triples, the visitors still shot 10-21 from outside. Most disappointing to me was Calvin getting outrebounded in the first half, letting Waynesburg get numerous second and third chances by grabbing 10 offensive boards the opening 20 minutes. Calvin also failed to get many reachable 50/50 balls. By halftime Waynesburg had taken an astounding 16 more shots than Calvin.

Other game notes:

--Dan Stout started and played 15 minutes which is several more than I expected. He was extremely effective down the stretch when Calvin pulled away.

--Connor VanderBrug scored 10 more (in only 18 minutes) and looked very good. He still has a lot to learn but seems to now realize that his teammates are very good players too and Connor doesn't have to do everything for his team like he did when he was in high school. VanderBrug is a very tough matchup at the D3 level and has to be one of the best freshmen in the country at that level. Has a superior offensive skillset.

--17 more turnovers tonight for Calvin. I know the Knights are playing a higher energy offense than we are used to seeing, but that number has to change.

--Brad Visser logged 27 minutes tonight which has to be a career high, scoring 12 points. He can be a maddening player to have on your team, often dribbles too much, but there's no question he is an extremely creative scorer who makes fans of both teams hold their breath.

--By my count Jordan Brink went over the 1000 point mark and now stands at 1012.


DJ Beckman finished tonight's opening game with 32 points against Ohio Wesleyan.

Good summary , Old Knight, as I have come to expect from you.  I particularly agree with the comments about the failure to grab a reasonable share of the loose balls.  Where I have a little disagreement is that the defense appeared to me to be significantly improved much of the game as compared to last week.  The players did a better job of guarding the outside and switching off around picks.  The especially seemed to tighten the defense the last 10 minutes of the game.  The defense still has to improve, but I thought they were much better than last week and at least attempted to guard the outside as well as the inside.  Your comments about Visser were particularly interesting since he has so much to offer on offense and seems to be really trying to work on his defense.  But he is a real mix of outstanding successes and rough edges.

[KnightSlappy]

Can I play the randomness in three-point shooting card two weeks in a row? BJ Durham shot under 30% on his three-point attempts last year for Waynesburg (and was 2-7 going into yesterday).

[oldknight]

Can I play the randomness in three-point shooting card two weeks in a row? BJ Durham shot under 30% on his three-point attempts last year for Waynesburg (and was 2-7 going into yesterday).

No; we won't let you. I jest, but not entirely.

There is no question there is a certain amount of random variation in 3 point shooting and, if I recall correctly, Calvin's opponents began shooting well from the arc last season too before Calvin started improving their team defense. The season box shows Calvin opponents hit just under 35% for the 2013-14 season. I would like to see a similar progression this year. Though I am unaware of any data to support this statement, I have no doubt that over the long haul an opponent's shooting percentage is largely a reflection of how well or poorly your defense played.