MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[ChicagoHopeNut]

At this point forget about the QOWI.  Concentrate on winning.  It is still the best way for a team to control their own fate.

Agreed, Hope just needs to concentrate on winning the MIAA tourney and there is nothing to worry about. But should Hope stumble the QoWI is a big deal for any Pool C chance might have so for the fan who doesn't need to plan for Tri-State its an interesting conversation.

[AndersDY]

Comment #1 - "I didn't really see what happened first, all I saw was..." - great they are admitting they aren't seeing what's going on

Comment #2 - "I made that call because I thought it was the best alternative" - I guess I didn't really think there were alternatives, or at least shouldn't be in the officials mind.

On your second comment, I'm actually convinced that officials use an alternative fallback call, at least in one particular situation I've seen over and over. It's the play on the sideline where a defender whacks at the ball, probably hits more of the arm of the ball-handler than the ball, the ball sails out of bounds having most likely hit the ball-handler, not the defender, last. The official probably thinks calling the little slap is a pretty tiny foul, but if there was no foul, the ball really hit the offensive player last and would be a turnover. Rather than punish the ball-handler for what might have been callable as a foul, the ref just splits the difference and calls out of bounds leaving the ball with the offensive team. I'm not sure if officials intentionally do that, perhaps they don't notice the times where the ball actually went off the offensive player, but that scenario seems to play out regularly and the officals generally go with just letting them keep the ball, the call that changes the course of play the least.

Even if I'm right about that though, you have lost it if you're admitting comments like that to the players or coaches. Let me guess, were the officials selling spare pivot-feet last night as well? The MIAA could use a seminar on the science of 1.5 steps.

[veragrace]

My thoughts tonight

------DVS needs to bag the 25 foot 3's untill he hits one from 20 again.

------Hope should come up with an alternate 3rd jersey to wear when they play Calvin, one that doesn't say "Hope" or have orange and blue.........clearly the Knights can't get motivated unless its Hope.  But, I do feel better about what I saw last Monday at Albion.  The Brits are playing better, I was tempted to pick them tonight but chickened out.

------So bizarre, in fact, that one of our regular and reviered posters who normally doesn't let such things affect him, was on his feet disputing more than one call.  It was that bizarre.

Yeah, I had to apologize to Grandma Cramer for my little outburst but lord, I've never been so mad during a Hope game.   I'm glad they left their names off the boxscore.  They were forgettable.   Not one of my finer moments as a Hope fan.

I've never seen Glenn laughing so hard by the end of the game.

------Saturday at Tri-State could be interesting, hopefully Hope can get motivated for a game that means little in the MIAA, but could mean oh so much to any slim Pool C hopes.

On the post game interview Coach Dav mentioned that he thought Tri-State has not lost at home yet this year.  Hopefully this won't be an issue for our boys.  We handled Tri-State 101-57 earlier, so I'm optimistic for the W.

[dothedew]

Wow....thanks for posting the interview with NCAA Prez.
It's great to hear (execpt for the Hope loss) that it was a great environment and everything went well.
Nice job Hope Admin/Students/community.
GO HOPE!

[almcguirejr]

This is also why I think Calvin (although I know they wont be) should be considered for Pool C.......Throw out their preseason, look at who they are NOW!

Calvin's preseason is thrown out, hshoopster. Nothing that the Knights did prior to November 17 counts.

FUNNY!!!   Someone does actually read my posts, even when I say stupid things.....
I guess I was wrong about Calvin...I really thought they would win out.

Anyone else think that if the MIAA teams started the preseason all over again, many of them would win a few more games?  It seems as if every team is VASTLY improved since December (except maybe Hope).  When I first saw Calvin, they were just horrible, same for Albion.  I know every team improves over the year but this year seems different to me, thats all.

Today, I can't sit here and say that Calvin is VASTLY improved.  KVS said last night that he was disappointed that his team put forth about 75% effort.  That has been a problem all year.  Mentally we are just not ready to play every game.

Calvin  doesn't play preseason games. 

[ScotsFan]

I suppose I probably discount QOWI more than I should because of its obvious defects.  Is the change to including opponent's opponents records starting next year?

Mr. Yipsi, I agree with you. I guess I have a better idea now of why JCU jumped but I just don't buy into the QoWI as that reliable of a measure of a team. I certainly don't see how JCU jumps 4 spots this past week.

From the perspective that too much emphasis is placed on QoWI when that system is so flawed to begin with, I totally agree.  However, when you factor in the other criteria used for the Regional Rankings, JCU does have a decided advantage in wins over common opponents (they beat ONU twice, Witt and Woo both lost to ONU) and they have more wins over regionally ranked opponents (JCU beat ONU twice.  Witt and Woo have beaten each other once.).

The thing that is most puzzling to me is that JCU met all of these criteria last week and they were still ranked 5th.  What exactly changed that warranted JCU to climb to 2nd this week?!  Also, I'm having trouble figuring out how ONU is still ranked ahead of Capital in the GL Region considering Cap is co-leaders in the OAC with JCU and they also just beat ONU this past weekend?!

Oh well, we have to remember this is the NCAA and if they did anything that made sense, we might be looking for some serious signs that the end of the world is near!!! 8)

[dumezrules]

This is also why I think Calvin (although I know they wont be) should be considered for Pool C.......Throw out their preseason, look at who they are NOW!

Calvin's preseason is thrown out, hshoopster. Nothing that the Knights did prior to November 17 counts.

AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH  Ok fundamentalists, when I say preseason, I mean pre-MIAA season!!!!  I think most of you Calvinists know what is meant but you are taught to take EVERYTHING literally!!!  I thought you knew it only applied to the Bible!!!

FUNNY!!!   Someone does actually read my posts, even when I say stupid things.....
I guess I was wrong about Calvin...I really thought they would win out.

Anyone else think that if the MIAA teams started the preseason all over again, many of them would win a few more games?  It seems as if every team is VASTLY improved since December (except maybe Hope).  When I first saw Calvin, they were just horrible, same for Albion.  I know every team improves over the year but this year seems different to me, thats all.

Today, I can't sit here and say that Calvin is VASTLY improved.  KVS said last night that he was disappointed that his team put forth about 75% effort.  That has been a problem all year.  Mentally we are just not ready to play every game.

Calvin  doesn't play preseason games. 

[scottiedawg]

Does anyone have any idea what time the MIAA championship game will be on Saturday, Feb 24?  If that hasn't been reported yet, what time has it been in past years? 

[sac]

Does anyone have any idea what time the MIAA championship game will be on Saturday, Feb 24?  If that hasn't been reported yet, what time has it been in past years? 

Most, if not all, have been in the evening 7:30 or 8 starts.

On the post game interview Coach Dav mentioned that he thought Tri-State has not lost at home yet this year.  Hopefully this won't be an issue for our boys.  We handled Tri-State 101-57 earlier, so I'm optimistic for the W.

Tri-State has not lost at home this season in MIAA play, every game but Kzoo has been 10 points or less.

UW-Oshkosh is listed as a home game, I thought that was a tournament game somewhere...........it would be their only home loss of the season.

[sac]

Let me guess, were the officials selling spare pivot-feet last night as well? The MIAA could use a seminar on the science of 1.5 steps.

There was a sequence of calls you had to see to believe............Steve Cramer became the first player in basketball history to reach in on himself and commit a foul on himself   Literally 10 basketball players looked around stunned at that call.

The one that probably drew the most ire was a call underneath the basket, Ryan Klein gets fouled, both officials blow a whistle at the same time, they discuss and the official from 30 feet away looking through 10 bodies overules the one 2 feet away and calls traveling...........again 10 players look around in desbelief.  How on earth he saw that or could even think he saw that was beyond me and GVW who probably deserved a T at that point.  Both officials turned beet red when discussing with GVW

Along with the "reasons" the ref gave for some of their calls it left alot to be desired............throw in the blatant makeup calls by the little guy ref who was so embarrassed by his partners' incompetence he felt it necessary to straighten things out a bit.  For about 10 minutes of game time it was deplorable.

I was actually very impressed with the way Hope's players played through it.

[oldknight]

Without the lake, Chicago would just be Des Moines with funnier accents.

I've actually lived in both Chicago and Des Moines and believe me Greg, the lake and the accents aren't the only differences. The most important difference is the total absence of D3 hoops in the Des Moines area although bulldogalum will be pleased to note that the Bulldogs (Drake) do play there--though not in the black and gold colors to which MIAA followers are so accustomed to seeing. 

[MIdoubleA]

Speaking of Pool C, an entertaining thought comes to mind.

Only in a rivalry as competitive as Hope vs. Calvin can one team hurt the other by losing.

Does anyone else think this is funny?

Here's to hoping in a few weeks this is still funny and not ironic...

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Without the lake, Chicago would just be Des Moines with funnier accents.

I've actually lived in both Chicago and Des Moines and believe me Greg, the lake and the accents aren't the only differences. The most important difference is the total absence of D3 hoops in the Des Moines area although bulldogalum will be pleased to note that the Bulldogs (Drake) do play there--though not in the black and gold colors to which MIAA followers are so accustomed to seeing. 

The Drake Bulldogs have a local player on their roster - Leonard Houston (Holland - West Ottawa).  He's averagin about 15 minutes a game as a junior.  Wow, this is almost like playing Dutch bingo   

[GoKnights68]

Without the lake, Chicago would just be Des Moines with funnier accents.

I've actually lived in both Chicago and Des Moines and believe me Greg, the lake and the accents aren't the only differences. The most important difference is the total absence of D3 hoops in the Des Moines area although bulldogalum will be pleased to note that the Bulldogs (Drake) do play there--though not in the black and gold colors to which MIAA followers are so accustomed to seeing. 

The Drake Bulldogs have a local player on their roster - Leonard Houston (Holland - West Ottawa).  He's averagin about 15 minutes a game as a junior.  Wow, this is almost like playing Dutch bingo   

Also have Brent Heemskerk who went to Grand Rapids Christian.  I believe he's still on the roster isn't he?  His older brother played for Bradley a couple years ago.

[oldknight]

Without the lake, Chicago would just be Des Moines with funnier accents.

I've actually lived in both Chicago and Des Moines and believe me Greg, the lake and the accents aren't the only differences. The most important difference is the total absence of D3 hoops in the Des Moines area although bulldogalum will be pleased to note that the Bulldogs (Drake) do play there--though not in the black and gold colors to which MIAA followers are so accustomed to seeing. 

The Drake Bulldogs have a local player on their roster - Leonard Houston (Holland - West Ottawa).  He's averagin about 15 minutes a game as a junior.  Wow, this is almost like playing Dutch bingo   

Also have Brent Heemskerk who went to Grand Rapids Christian.  I believe he's still on the roster isn't he?  His older brother played for Bradley a couple years ago.

And in a bid for oneupsmanship I'll tell you that Drake also has a kid from Pella on their roster--Klay Korver. FDF will be glad to know that Korver's father is an RCA minister. 8) Word has that Drake got to his house just before GVW. (I haven't heard whether Korver's slated in as a Hope transfer for next year ). This Dutch bingo is getting to be more than I can stand.