MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[HopeConvert]

the doors open  1 1/2  hours before the game tonight

I know it's a silly question, but one that bears asking.  I've never been to AU and will be in attendance tonight waiting at the doors when the gym opens and was wondering what the parking situation is like over there?  Easy to find?  Impossible to find?  Any insight from last night's attendees?

I think most of us parked on the side streets around the west end of the campus. It wasn't too far a walk, but I'd avoid the lots. There was no massive field of green in front of the gym that could have been converted into parking space.

[Greek Tragedy]

The signs outside the gym said "sold out" but I find that hard to believe.  I sat opposite the benches behind the Chicago band and there was a fair amount of room there.  I can also guess that Chicago didn't sell all their tickets because the far section against the wall was pretty open as well.  I came into the first game late and had NO PROBLEM finding a seat.

There was also a good amount of room there when the Calvin student fans came into that section as well.

I don't see Aurora's fans showing up to "see a good game" and I know, by talking to one Hope fan, that he's buying a bunch of tickets for friends and family to drive down tonight.  It's only 3 hours, apparently, and I did that last night and I don't even care about the whole Hope/Calving rivalry! lol 

[HopeConvert]

The signs outside the gym said "sold out" but I find that hard to believe.  I sat opposite the benches behind the Chicago band and there was a fair amount of room there.  I can also guess that Chicago didn't sell all their tickets because the far section against the wall was pretty open as well.  I came into the first game late and had NO PROBLEM finding a seat.

There was also a good amount of room there when the Calvin student fans came into that section as well.

I don't see Aurora's fans showing up to "see a good game" and I know, by talking to one Hope fan, that he's buying a bunch of tickets for friends and family to drive down tonight.  It's only 3 hours, apparently, and I did that last night and I don't even care about the whole Hope/Calving rivalry! lol 

You realize that in West Michigan we consider that to be the very definition of atheism.

[Gregory Sager]

It is starting to look like the MIAA will have atleast one team in the second round.   Great game Hope.  Does this mean the MIAA wasn't quite as bad as we thught it was all year?

Conference reputations are pretty much fixed in December. If some teams in a conference take longer to get their act together, the conference still has a bad external record.

I don't think we really have very much information about the relative strength of some conferences until a few NCAA tourney games have been played.

I don't agree, because only the topmost teams from any conference get into the tourney; sometimes it's only one team that gets in. On the other hand, non-conference play reflects the level of the league as a whole.

I do agree with your point that it's unfairly weighted towards how the leagues as a whole rank at the beginning of the season rather than the end, and I'm perfectly willing to believe that the improvement of Calvin, Albion, etc., meant that the MIAA was stronger than its woeful non-conference record would indicate. But non-conference record is still a very sound method of determining relative conference strength. If tourney record was the only true indicator that we had of a league's strength, then, say, the NCAC and the CAC would usually look much stronger than they actually are as a whole.

[Gregory Sager]

What an odd development.  The Rivalry that can put 11,000 fans in the seats will play in front of its smallest crowd in years!  It's like Rocky and Apollo fighting it out in the empty gym.

Well, I realize that what I'm about to say is totally self-serving, but I for one am glad that it worked out this way. I've always wanted to see a Calvin/Hope game, and now I can ... practically in my own backyard.

[petemcb]

Greg, maybe you, Bob, and I can, after tonight, vote more intelligently the next time ESPN runs their "what's the greatest rivalry in college sports today?" poll.  Lookin' forward to this game tonight!

[dothedew]

GoHope...I just sent you a private message and an e-mail...my sister and my cousin are looking for tickets.
Have others heard anything about ticket availability? Will they be available starting at 5:30 CT?
I'm looking forward to listening to the game via the internet here in Philly.
There isn't a video stream....correct?
Also, is there any chance that the winning team tonight...(Hope) can host next weekend?
I know that Calvin doesn't have the needed record...but is there any chance Hope could?
ENJOY THE GAME everyone....

[Gregory Sager]

As impressive as the Knights were in the first half, they really showed me something in not letting the Spartans carry the momentum all the way to a lead.  Aurora was able to come back by playing their style of ball with an athletic run and gun style.  Calvin kept AU in the half court in the first half which made AU look pretty uncomfortable, similar to what happened in 2005.

The Knights were able to frustrate Larry Welton Jr, who looked like he was used to drawing more fouls on his way to the hoop against lesser opponents.  Larry getting stuffed by the rim on a breakaway was also a funny moment.  You have to keep guys like him in perspective, there is a reason he's playing DIII and not something higher but he has some skills.

No matter where you go, the refs are always questionable. Those guys were worse than anything I have seen in the MIAA. Maybe it was just perceived inconsistency because the teams play different styles, but wow, Mantel and Meckes getting repeatedly hacked and they swallow the whistles. Can't complain too much after a win.

Greg, maybe you, Bob, and I can, after tonight, vote more intelligently the next time ESPN runs their "what's the greatest rivalry in college sports today?" poll.  Lookin' forward to this game tonight!

Agreed -- and I'd argue that the ultimate test of a great rivalry is how well-attended and how intense it gets on neutral ground. Thornton Gym is not only neutral ground; it's neutral ground two states away.

I like the idea of you and Bob and I sitting in judgment not only upon the two MIAA teams but also upon their fan sections. The power is going right to my head.

As for the refs of the Calvin @ Aurora game, I thought that they did a good job. Morrow, O'Neil, and Curtis are a CCIW crew, and I've seen them do some bad games. But last night they let the kids play at both ends of the floor, and were consistent in doing so. All you can ask for is consistency and even-handedness, and they provided it. The extra contact allowed, if anything, worked in Calvin's favor -- the Knights were the bigger and more physical team.

Don't sell Welton short on the basis of last night's performance. He didn't have one of his better games, but he's an All-American for a reason. There were stretches in the second half where he really rose to the challenge, although Darrick Leonard and Dusty Magee were the two Spartans most instrumental in that second-half comeback. Dismissing Welton on the basis of having seen him once when he was not at his best would be the equivalent of me saying that Dustin Smith doesn't look like much of a point guard, based upon my seeing him play once and do a very poor job. Stats and records indicate that Smith is better than he looked last night, and the same goes for Welton.

Great game. AU really shot itself in the foot by playing selfishly in the first half; they kept driving singlemindedly to the basket without even once contemplating a kickout. That makes little sense when you have as many excellent perimeter shooters as the Spartans have, and it makes even less sense when the other team is expecting a drive on every play. Coach Lancaster insisted that Leonard swing the ball around the perimeter at least once on every possession in the second half, and that helped the Spartans play a more controlled game. Also, they got out and ran a bit -- that was probably the best use of their athleticism that they could've demonstrated.

Everyone has commented upon Calvin's late turnover and FT problems, as well they should. But, boy, I love watching their offense: Crisp passing where the ball is in and out of players' hands in the blink of an eye, great cuts off of the high post, etc. It was a real clinic -- except for the fact that the Knights missed a ton of bunnies.

The first game was about as impressive a one-man performance as I've seen all season. Cramer is so much better than he was the last time I'd seen him. He's as good as advertised. Reimink was also impressive, and I really didn't notice VanSolkema being slowed down by any leg injury. As Sac noted last night in a conversation we had at the half of the Calvin/Aurora contest, VanSolkema played a very nice midrange game. This should be a great game tonight. Speaking as a strictly neutral observer, I'm really looking forward to it.

[Gregory Sager]

After all of the questions about AU's gym size (whether it really held as many fans as D3hoops says it did), was the gym packed last night?  And, as Hope and Calvin have two of the best followings in D-3, will it really be a small crowd tonight?

Dunno how big tonight's crowd will be, but last night's crowd was probably in the 2,000 range. Thornton Gym was pretty crowded, but there were still some seats scattered here and there. Aurora's staff deserves a shout-out for doing a very good job of game management and overall presentation. If anything was too small, it was the Thornton Gym lobby ... but who thinks about expanding a lobby as part of a capital-growth campaign?

[Titan Q]

Per Aurora's S.I.D., the official tournament capacity is 1500, excluding the media areas.  Last night they sold about 800 tickets for tonight's game, which means there are about 700 available starting at 5:30pm.

[Mr. Ypsi]

dothedew,

Since they are in the same bracket as UWSP, I'd be shocked if the winner isn't headed to central Wisconsin next weekend (assuming St. John's doesn't pull a shocker).

[dothedew]

that's what I thought...but I figured it was worth a question/hope/dream/whatever.

Enjoy the game tonight y'all.....wish I could be there.

GO HOPE...and remember to DOTHEDEW!!!

[chidutch]

Per Aurora's S.I.D., the official tournament capacity is 1500, excluding the media areas.  Last night they sold about 800 tickets for tonight's game, which means there are about 700 available starting at 5:30pm.

Well I only need one ticket, so I like my odds. 

[chidutch]

Since an MIAA team is going to be on the road to the next round after this evening's game, what are the chances of a continued tourney run?  I admittedly don't know much about Stevens Point, but I've heard that they are pretty darn good.  If UWSP makes it through, will either of tonight's teams be able to match up favorably in the next round?

[chidutch]

I've seen the error of my ways.  Either of tonight's team would have to get through the winner of the Carroll game before we could consider UWSP.  I keep reminding myself...one game at a time...one game at a time...