MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[oldknight]

I got to admit that I have some admiration for Grace Bible's spunk. They come in undermanned and overmatched but they play without fear and they do so the full 40. Matt Jamieson (Wayland HS) is a hardnosed, quality player who could easily compete for a starting job at any MIAA school. Calvin's first half defense left a lot to be desired. They better firm it up tomorrow afternoon or WashU will shred the Knights. On offense Calvin looked pretty good but don't expect as many open looks against the Bears. We'll learn a lot about how effective Calvin can be against a top ranked team's defense. If Calvin can get some good looks they will score some points because they do seem to have a good shooting team this year--and that despite a poor shooting night from Veltema who I understand has been under the weather this week.

[almcguirejr]

It was difficult to judge Calvin's performance tonight.  The first half defense was similar to last year.  Giving up 43 points to Grace was a disgrace.  I think there were five consecutive trips down the floor that Grace got layups or easy shots in the paint.  Grace's best player, Jimmy Booth, was injured and did not play.  Calvin's depth wore out Grace the second half.  I think Grace scored 17 points the second half.  I do have to give credit to Grace for competing as hard as they did.

It will be interesting how Calvin matches up with Wash U tomorrow.  Ruths was very impressive except from the FT line.

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Impressive second half from Tri-State. For the sake of the MIAA it certainly would have been nice if they could have pulled that one off.

[goodknight]

Kalamazoo throttled by Wheaton at King Arena, 98-59.
Albion over Rochester, 85-40.

Difficult to judge Calvin's effort tonight -- certainly some good flashes and some head-scratching things, as well. 
We'll know more Saturday late afternoon.
Really terrific turnout of Calvin students tonight.  It would be great to see the momentum build throughout the season.

[sac]

MIAA Finals

Franklin, Ind. 77, Olivet 53
Adrian 82, MacMurray 68   
Albion 85, Rochester 40   
Case Western 88 Alma 69
Calvin 92, Grace Bible 65
Wheaton 98, Kalamazoo 59
Illinois Wesleyan 89, Tri-State 82 (ot)

[bulldogalum]

Adrian, dressed in spiffy new white uniforms, gets a win tonight over MacMurray (considered 1-0 at Adrian, not a word from anyone there about the Oakland game counting), and that's about all that can be said.  Oh, the Bulldogs looked good in spurts, and there were positives--4 guys in double digits (Young, Weber, Gallus, and freshman Dwight VanHoesen), and 13 boards from Weber--but there were stretches where the Bulldogs were just dismal.  Adrian, it seemed, fell completely asleep for the first 15 minutes of the second half, but managed to pull it together in time to ensure a win.  Upon viewing film on the game, I'm sure players will find many things upon which they can improve.  They'll have to play better tomorrow if they want to win, and I think they will.

Bad games feel a lot better when you win in spite of yourself, and tomorrow is an opportunity to put together an impressive performance.

[KnightSlappy]

Overall I think tonight was a good game from the Knights.  The Defense was suspect in the first half but tightened up in the second.  Mantel, Griffin, and Veldhouse looked really good, Katt was big on the boards, and I know Veltema's 3 ball will start to drop (yes hope fans Matt Veltema can in fact miss a 3 pointer).  This team seems to have a terrific offense and has more than enough fire power to make up for any one or two players having an off night.  The surprise of the night for me was how good Josh Engelsma looked, he should be a very solid player for Calvin this year.

I was not terribly impressed with Troy Ruths performance tonight, his numbers turned out fine but it seemed like he was pushed around at times.  I am looking forward to the Mantel/Ruths match-up tomorrow.  I expect to see a very good game at the Calvin Fieldhouse tomorrow.  The Knights need to bring their A+ game but Wash U. seemed like a beatable team.

[Dark Knight]

I dunno, I thought Ruths looked like quite a load. Very hard to stop offensively. At one point he shot a nice sky hook that reminded me a bit of Mark Veenstra -- though Veenstra was a little bigger and more dominant perhaps.

I think that the knights have as many horses as Wash U, but the Bears' are better saddled. Or something. The knights are much farther along than at the beginning of last year -- maybe in mid-season form compared to last year -- but the Bears looked about ready to go into the NCAA tourney again. Maybe if these Knights gel as a team, they'll be competitive by the end of the year.

The Bears' defense, especially, looked a lot more polished than the Knights'. However, they were susceptible to giving up the open 3-ball in the same way the Knights' defense can be, and if Calvin has a good shooting night, they may be able to pour them in. Or spread that defense, in which case Mantel and Engelsma will be key.

Mantel showed some flashes of brilliance last night. Early in the game he got the ball four times in quick succession and put them all in, from a fair range. He even hit a 3. He scored 15 points in the first 10 minutes. Other teams may have to double-team him all the time, leaving someone on the perimeter open.

I'm especially curious to see if the defense can do anything to slow down Ruths, without giving up too many open 3-balls. What a great test this game will be! Yes, it'll take an A+ game for the knights to win, but in any case it'll be great experience for all the other tough games coming up.

[oldknight]

.

I was not terribly impressed with Troy Ruths performance tonight, his numbers turned out fine but it seemed like he was pushed around at times. 

Sorry KS, but I've got to go with Dark Knight's analysis on Ruths. He was as good as advertised and looked every bit like a first team D3 All-American. 26 points, 9 boards and 5 assists from the post--nothing soft about that. Ruths was the most dominating player on the floor last night. I'm very curious to see how the Knights matchup today against the preseason no. 1.

[almcguirejr]

I agree with DK and OK.  Ruths was very good.  His footwork and positioning were excellent.  He also goes to the basket strong.  Ohio Northern was really physical last night. It will be hard for Calvin to play that way.  I think Nading will be a difficult match up for Calvin.  I was not that impressed with Wallis, he was good, but I guess I expected a little more.  I would like to be there today but
I can't miss the game.  GO BLUE

[KnightSlappy]

I know Ruths had a good game but I just somehow expected more.  Maybe it was the fact that his first half seemed rather pedestrian.  I think I just had high expectations after a UAA board (i think)  poster referred to his game as 'D1 caliber' or the fact that he is a preseason 1st teamer.

Wash U. does look very solid on the defensive end.  Lots of energy and lots of intensity.

[scottiedawg]

I believe this is a link to the live stats for the two games at Calvin today. 

http://www.calvin.edu/scoreboard/

At the moment it works for the ONU-Grace game.  Hope it works for the Calvin-WASHU game.

[almcguirejr]

Calvin Men and Women both 4th in  X Country DIII Championships.

[old_hooper]

Looks like Calvin is going to pull off a major upset early in the season.  Ahead by 12 with 3:18 to go and Ruths for Wash U just fouled out.  I am sure Wash U knew this was going to be a tough one but they probably didn't expect to coming home with a loss this early.  Good job for Calvin!

[northb]

It ain't over till it's over: Calvin by 4 with 00:59 left!