MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[realist]

Also, who can we expect to breakout off the bench and help them get to the second round? (Denney? Huizinga? Visser? Kronemeyer?)

Personally I would put my money on C. Vanderbrug, but the really nice thing is even if none of them have the "breakout" type game collectively they offer so much in the way of contributions while they are on the floor.  Last Sat. the bench contributed 18 points, but so much more in the way of fresh legs it ultimately made the difference.

Glad I put my money were it would do some good.

[knightmoves]

Tickets for tomorrow's game. My wife & I want to drive down for the game tomorrow but too far to go if not sure we can get tickets. Anyone know what time tickets go on sale?

[GoKnights68]

Mount Union has looked very good, as expected, and will be a tough beat tomorrow night.  Go Knights!

[oldknight]

I never feel fully comfortable assessing a game I have only seen on my computer screen. There's something about being courtside that helps you evaluate little things such as the relative size of players, their toughness, how hard they are competing, and even to some extent, their quickness. But as those who know me best can attest, I still have opinions I'm willing to share. Here they are.

--I liked how the game started for Calvin because it appeared that Oswego didn't know precisely how to defend Jordan Brink. He got off several good shots early on and I thought he was well on his way to taking 15-20 shots, a number much higher than normal for him. Given Brink's shooting efficiency, I expected him score at least 25. Brink took 8 floor shots the first 17 minutes of the game. He took only one more after that. Oswego's coach made a very effective adjustment, playing zone the second half. It took Calvin a while to figure out how to attack it and until Parks hit back-to-back, ice-in-the-veins triples with less than 3 minutes left, the season was very much on the line.

--KVS made a post game comment that I knew but had forgotten. Freshmen often suffer through the February blahs because the college season is longer than any they've previously experienced. Combine that with the adjustments a student-athlete must make to a new environment and a more demanding academic load, it can be a tough adjustment. VanderBrug picked the perfect time to shed the blahs because without his 17 points Calvin doesn't win this game. CVB has now played the same number of games (28) that Jordan Brink did his freshmen year. Brink scored 205 points his first year while CVB has 276, despite playing 100 fewer minutes. He's still has much to learn but VanderBrug is well on his way to a 1000 point career and likely will reach that goal before his senior year. I like his upside.

--Jordan Daley had a very quiet and much needed double/double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He was pretty steady tonight.

--Tonight's game was good enough to win. The same effort tomorrow won't be good enough to win.

[MaroonKnighty]

Well said Oldknight. A win in s a win but Calvin needs to step it up tomorrow.

[calvin_grad]

Tonight's game was good enough to win. The same effort tomorrow won't be good enough to win.

It's an understatement, but Calvin NEEDS to defend the 3 tomorrow.  Mount Union made 15 of 31 in their 28 point victory tonight.  If they do that again tomorrow, they beat Calvin.

[almcguirejr]

We made the drive to Mount Union today.

-Calvin looked like they were going to take control of the game a couple of different times with double digit leads but Oswego always managed to fight back. Oswego competed extremely hard. 

-Calvin probably missed a half a dozen lay ups tonight.

-Calvin got hurt by #32 on the offensive glass a number of times.

- Oswego played very good defense on Brink in the second half. They were very conscious of where he was at all times.

- Vanderbrug played great!  You would think that in his first NCAA game there would be some jitters. 
He showed none.

- Austin Parks 2 threes were killers for Oswego.

-Daley and Huizenga did a nice job on # 11 Sortino.  He had 21 points but he was 8-22 and 0-5 from downtown. I overheard the Oswego coach in the hallway about the Calvin rotations were really tough on him. Sortino also played all 40 minutes.

We stayed and watched the first half of the Mount Union vs Neumann game. Mount Union looked good.  Calvin is going to have to really defend the 3 point line because Mount Union makes a lot them. #24, Jarrett Ruffin, is a very good player, big body, he will be tough to handle.  It will be essential that Calvin gets good play from another 3-4 guys besides Brink. I think they will need to rebound better also.

[almcguirejr]

I just looked at the Mount Union box score.  I am surprised their starters played the number of minutes they did in a 28 point win.

[Gregory Sager]

I know that Oswego State has been pretty good at basketball over the past few seasons, but it's still jarring for me to see the Lakers in the D3 tourney. Oswego State always used to be a hockey school where basketball didn't even rank as an afterthought.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Still is... to be honest. The difference in the facilities is startling. Their ice rink is awesome... their basketball gym is old school. They like playing there, but the difference in where the funds are is quite clear.

[Gregory Sager]

Oswego State was the school of choice for all of the good hockey players from my high school. Nice to know that some things never change, no matter how old you get.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Because a picture really doesn't do it justice, here is a link to the ice rink and facility: http://oswegolakers.com/sports/2010/5/25/GEN_0525102523.aspx?id=99

Here is the gymnasium: http://oswegolakers.com/sports/2010/5/27/GEN_0527100034.aspx?id=113

The gym really isn't bad... I don't want to come across indicating that... but compared to the ice rink, well...

[almcguirejr]

Tickets for tomorrow's game. My wife & I want to drive down for the game tomorrow but too far to go if not sure we can get tickets. Anyone know what time tickets go on sale?

Tickets go on sale at 5:30. I sent you a PM. Mount Union students are on Spring Break which eases the ticket crunch.

[KnightSlappy]

As others have mentioned, Calvin really struggled offensively for a stretch once Oswego State switched to a zone. Calvin tried to attack the gaps in the zone -- as they did against Alma -- but Oswego seemed quicker to move and rotate and take away the space. The Knights settled for too many long 2-pt jumpers during that sequence, and that allowed the Lakers to catch up and take the lead. Calvin was finally able to move the ball inside and outside (instead of around the perimeter) against the zone, and that led to a Daley layup and the two Parks three points. Brink was able to seal up the game from the line.

I expected a Calvin rebounding advantage, but they got outworked on their defensive end. 12-24 from downtown (with big shots by Parks, VanderBrug, and Brink) saved Calvin's bacon last night.

[KnightSlappy]

Last night wasn't particularly kind to our Calvin hosting odds. Here's what we need today to make that happen.

It's going to be a very tough game with Mount Union. Calvin can't let them fire at will from long range. Obviously looking for a Knights win.

Augustana has to beat DePauw. A win by our Great Lakes friends would mean the pod would shift to the Marietta/Wooster winner without question.

Defiance has to beat St. Olaf. The Oles can't bus to Grand Rapids, so we'd be looking at a scenario with a forced flight.

Marietta has to beat Wooster (I think). Wooster to Augustana is listed as 500.0 miles on the NCAA's site. I'm not sure if that means a bus is OK or not, but I do know that Marietta is over 500 miles to Augustana.

Augustana (83%)
Calvin (29%)
Defiance (31%)
Marietta (69%)

I think that's our only chance, and it's down to 5%. But of course we can't take a win for granted. According to Massey, only DePauw is a bigger underdog in this quadrant today.