MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[section7]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction regarding Sac's #1 Team.

Based on the writeup on the Alma website regarding the resignation of their coach......Eddy.

One of Ed's teams has got to have made it to the top of the list.

[almcguirejr]

I'd really like to hear why you would think 2006 Albion is a better team than 2006 Calvin.

First, lets remember this isn't my opinion, but a statistical computer program.

This is the one team I knew I'd have to answer for and two things work against the 2006 Knights.

First---Overall the 2006 Knights rank as the #10 Calvin team of the past 10 years and #10 offensively.  More than a few Calvin posters have commented that the offense hasn't seemed that good for the past couple years and quite frankly the numbers don't lie.  Not only is 2006 ranked #10 but 2007 is ranked #9 for Calvin offensive teams.


Second---We look at the whole season, not just the last 4 weeks.  If we ranked just the last 4 weeks I have no doubt this Calvin team would be in the top 10.  But from November through the first 5 games of the MIAA season Calvin was pretty ordinary.  Calvin suffered 5 losses before that 5th MIAA contest.  In those they lost by 14, 8, 15, 7, 18 throw in four games in the first 5 MIAA contests where Calvin won in OT by 6 , by 4, 2 and 3.  Calvin was a couple bounces or breaks for the opponents from being 1-4 to start the MIAA season.  The first 17 games are what hold the 2006 Knights back.


A few things that go into the ratings, offensive stats such as points, rebounds, shooting percentages, assists, steals, blocks.  Defensively its points allowed, rebounds and opponents shooting percentage.  A component is also overall winning percentage.   If you look at the overall stats Albion outranked Calvin in a number of categories but not average points scored.  Rebounding is a pretty big component and  Albion dusted Calvin in that category.  Calvin was just not as efficient on offense as Albion, and defensively Albion 2006 ranks #2 in the MIAA over these 10 years, Calvin was good but not nearly as good as Albion's rating.

I look at the 2006 team as a cinderella who probably accomplished much more than they should have. Its not unusual, Hope's #8 overall team won a piece of the 1999 MIAA Championship, there are 26 teams that rate higher from the MIAA in this time frame.   There are 22 teams that rate ahead of the 2006 Knights.

Also,  don't forget that if we had the smaller NCAA field as we did for much of this past decade its doubtfull the 2006 Knights would have been in that field. 

Well thanks for the explanation, but I still respectfully disagree.  I guess I should remember that you factored all kinds of stats in there, that seem to block out what the Knights accomplished record-wise.  So I'd have to disagree when just saying that were really good the last 4 weeks.  The MIAA regular season recrod speaks for itself on the season, and I just don't think the pre-conference non-league games should mean nearly as much as the MIAA.  I guess I could somewhat agree that the 2006 Briton were more talented, but Calvin had them beat in every aspect of the season(miaa regular season,  further in miaa tourney, tournament appearence), and Albion just never really improved.  But it's your list

GK68, I think you are right on the money with your comments.

[sac]

I don't know if people or Sac's computer will agree with me or not but I think 2003 was one of the best if not the best year as far as depth went.

Indeed 2003 rates very well, not the best of the 10 years but right up there, unfortunately the leagues been on a steady decline since.  In 2003 Hope, Albion, Calvin and Kalamazoo were playoff caliber teams and  Adrian wasn't far behind.

Its unfortunate that 2003 also has the lowest rated team of them all, Alma's 1-23 team.  I believe their only win came against a Canadian team and a bad Canadian team at that.  That Alma team opened with Wittenberg, John Carroll, Cornerstone and Franklin.

[Pat Coleman]

It was Orchard Lake St. Mary's, not a Canadian team. A Canadian team wouldn't count toward their W-L record.

http://www.d3hoops.com/school_info.php?school=Alma&team=mens&year=2003

I think Madonna absorbed this school since.

[sac]

So it was a bad American team.  My apologies to any Canadians.

[Pat Coleman]

Hosers.

[realist]

bionbrit:  If memory serves correctly J Veenstra suffered a detached retina in that game.  

[sac]

#1  2000 Calvin


30-2, 14-0  MIAA Champion, MIAA Tournament Champion, NCAA National Champion, Final D3hoops ranking #1


No starting 5 available

Bryan Foltice, Jon Potvin, Jeremy Veenstra, Aaron Winkle, Nate Karsten, Nate Burgess, Jason DeKuiper, Derek Kleinheksel, Brian Krosschell, Josh Tubergen



Some might say the 2000 Knights story began in March and April of the previous spring when Michigan High School legend Bryan Foltice and the nephew of Calvin great Mark Veenstra, Jeremy Veenstra, announced they would be attending Calvin.  Needless to say expectations would be high with a solid group of returning veterans.

Calvin started the season at just # 22 in the D3hoops poll, but quickly rose to the top 10 with wins over Beloit and Wheaton in OT.  The weekend that propelled the Knights into the top 10 was the Hall of Fame Classic in Grand Rapids where Calvin beat Div 2 Grand Valley State in the opener and whippped Aquinas in the Championship.  Calvin was 4-0 and ranked # 8.

They followed up their impressive start with another big win over Div 2 Ferris State, followed by wins over city rivals  Cornerstone, Aquinas and a crushing win over Orchard Lake St. Mary's.  Calvin was off to California at 8-0 and now #4.  California proved to be a tough trip, with losses to Biola in OT and Azuza Pacific, both teams from the higher division NAIA I.

The MIAA campaign began with Defiance, the team that had knocked out the Knights in the MIAA semi-finals on a last second three the year before.  Needless to say revenge was served in a 104-74 domination of the Yellow Jackets.  Defiance wouldn't lose again in the first half of the MIAA season, it was not only a dominating win but an important one.

Calvin would win its next 5 MIAA games with close wins over Adrian, Alma, 10 point margins over Hope and Albion and a 3 point escape of Olivet.  By the second Defiance meeting it was Calvin and Defiance at the top of the MIAA with the Knights one game up, Calvin was 16-2 and ranked # 3.   The crucial road win 94-89 at Defiance was nearly the clincher, Calvin was 2 full games up on the rest of the MIAA.

Two easy wins over Adrian and Alma followed setting up the second Hope meeting in Holland.  Hope was 3 games back, essentially out of the MIAA race.  It was more a game for pride.   The Dutchmen put up a great fight and led by 3 with just seconds remaining when Aaron Winkle launched an off balanced 3 that banked off the bankboard and  rolled in to send the game into OT at the frenzied Calvin Fieldhouse.  The Knights would prevail in OT 82-80 and with Albion upsetting Defiance that same afternoon Calvin was now 3 games ahead with just 3 to go.

The Knights wrapped up their first outright MIAA Championship in 5 seasons in style, whipping Olivet 101-71.  Wins over Albion and Kalamazoo gave Calvin a perfect 14-0 MIAA season, the only team to win all 14 MIAA games.  They were 22-2 and ranked # 2.

The MIAA Tournament went to form with the top 2 seeds meeting in the final and it was Calvin winning 95-82, their first MIAA Tournament Championship in 6 seasons.  An upset of # 1 ranked Hampden Sydney in the ODAC Tournament propelled the Knights to the # 1 ranking at 24-2.

A first round bye gave Calvin a home game vs first round winner and HCAC Champion Franklin.  It may have been the game of the tournament with Calvin winning 92-90 in OT.  Calvin had survived its biggest scare.  The following weekend brought a mouth wattering sectional to the Fieldhouse with # 1 Calvin , # 3 Wooster and # 4 McMurray along with Maryville.  The first night Calvin rolled over their Great Lakes counterparts Wooster in a stunning 82-53 wipe out of the Scots.  Equally stunning was the Sectional final blowout of McMurry 115-79.  Calvin was heading to Salem as the prohibitive favorite.

In Salem Calvin would need some heroics to beat # 19 Franklin and Marshall, a late layup sent the Knights into the Championship game with a 79-77 win.  The Championship pitted the Knights against UW-Eau Claire where Calvin came away with a 79-74 victory.  Calvin was the 2000 National Champion.



Notes:   There's no question this team ranks #1 and its by a substantial margin, even a couple more losses wouldn't keep this team from ranking #1.  They were deep and solid all over the floor with a terrific front line, very few teams could match their interior depth.   Their 3 primary 3 point shooters, Foltice, Winkle and Karsten were as good as any trio we've seen in this league. 

Aaron Winkle was the league MVP for the 2nd straight season, rightfully so, it was a nice cap to a solid 4 year career where he didn't always have the help around him like other Calvin MVP's have had.  You certainly can't discount the impact Veenstra and Foltice had on the team, their youthfull no fear attitude brought the energy level up a notch at Calvin, and Foltice singlehandidly stole a few wins for the Knights.  But the player who stands out the most for me was Nate Karsten who's excellent Senior season and floor leadership was a very big reason the Knights were as succesfull as they were in 2000.

The 2000 MIAA season ranks as the highest during this 10 year period, 5 of the 8 teams reached 15 wins and 7 reached 10, and there was some serious carnage behind the Knights as they won the league by a whopping 4 full games.

[sac]

So to recap, and I thouroughly enjoyed doing this.   The numbers are the point totals, and they probably won't mean much, but on average a win will get you an extra 3 or 4 point boost.


1.   2000--Calvin..........184.64
2.   2003--Hope...........176.99
3.   2001--Calvin..........174.29
4.   2005--Albion..........173.55
5.   2007--Hope...........170.41
6.   1998--Hope...........169.15
7.   2006--Hope...........165.98
8.   2005--Calvin..........164.88
9.   2004--Hope...........163.68
10. 2006--Albion..........155.31

[sac]

Here's how the league average comes out, I do this only to illustrate the leagues decline in quality of play.

98--96.59
99--96.77
00--107.20
01--85.67
02--80.23
03--88.82
04--86.68
05--81.71
06--71.98
07--53.92

What makes 2000 so odd is that, there really was only 1 possibly 2 NCAA Tournament quality teams.  But overall the league won a lot of non-conference games that year.   Interesting too that 2007 produced 4 teams lowest rated team of the past 10 years, and a fifth its 2nd lowest.

[sac]

In the interest of fair play, here's the bottom 10.  (a negative number means your pretty much getting your butt kicked every game)


66.--2001  Alma.............16.96
67.--1999  Adrian...........15.16
68.--1998  Olivet............13.96
69.--2007  Kalamazoo.....11.38
70.--2006  Adrian...........7.18
71.--2004  Alma............-1.79
72.--2007  Olivet...........-6.29
73.--2002  Alma............-22.94
74.--2007  Alma............-26.84
75.--2003  Alma............-47.80

[northb]

Great job, Sac, very interesting reading.  Why did you think it was going to be a smitefest?  You got the #1 team right. 

+K for you (as soon as I can applaud you yet again)

[hope1]

really nice job sac it was really fun reading the rankings from 10  to 1 

[Joel-Eric Van Bosma Brady]

Sac,

Thanks a lot for the work that you put in...very entertaining.    Based on your list,  my top three would be:

1.)   Calvin 2000
2.)   Hope 1998
3.)   Calvin 2005

[GoKnights68]

In the interest of fair play, here's the bottom 10.  (a negative number means your pretty much getting your butt kicked every game)


66.--2001  Alma.............16.96
67.--1999  Adrian...........15.16
68.--1998  Olivet............13.96
69.--2007  Kalamazoo.....11.38
70.--2006  Adrian...........7.18
71.--2004  Alma............-1.79
72.--2006  Olivet...........-6.29
73.--2002  Alma............-22.94
74.--2007  Alma............-26.84
75.--2003  Alma............-47.80

2007 Olivet didn't get enough negative points I see.  2006 Olivet actually almost upset Calvin twice that season! yikes!