MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[realist]

NWH:  On the remote sites etc. for the rivalry games.  No one else really can duplicate what Calvin and Hope do.  I am sure it is the envy of many schools both smaller and larger than them.

[sac]

Not sure about envy, surprise is probably more like it.

[realist]

Sac:  You may be right to a degree.  I was looking at it from an alumni directors perspective.  Many schools have alums that ride off into the sunset once they get their paper. 

[ChicagoHopeNut]

A question about last night's game for those who were able to watch:  In the postgame interview on WHTC, they mentioned it was a fast-paced game.  Was that a major factor in the outcome?  I guess what I'm asking is did Hope wear Roanoke down by forcing a faster pace throughout the game?  It was close well into the second half, when Hope started to slowly build to their margin of victory.  That seems to me like one team simply being able to outlast an otherwise evenly-matched opponent.

I only was able to listen to part of the game and mainly was watching livestats as I "studied." Although I think Hope may have worn Roanoke out to a degree a big part of Hope starting to pull away in the last ten minutes is they finally started to hit shots. Hope shot under 20% from the floor the first 10 minutes and was only at about 22% after 15 minutes of the game. If Hope had shot even a subpar 35% in the first half their lead would have been far greater earlier in the game.

Big game in a few hours. Can't wait.

[sac]

Elmhurst comes into this afternoon's contest with Hope at 5-1 ranked #21 in the latest D3hoops.com poll

ELM 85 Simpson(3-5) 71
ELM 74 MacMurry(1-7) 51
ELM 64 Eureka(2-7) 51
UW-Oshkosh(7-2) 88 ELM 86
ELM 86 Mt. St. Joseph(5-4) 74
ELM 75 Tri-State(2-5) 65

Elmhurst has 10 guys averaging double-digit minutes, the starting 5 is likely to consist of.......

G Ryan Burks 6-4 Jr.
G Matt Ryder 6-0 So.
G Chris Childs 6-2 So
F Mark Aloisio 6-5 Jr.
C Brent Ruch 6-9 Sr.

*Jimmy Saris started yesterday's game vs TSU over Childs, that may be the case again today.


The bench

Dusting Bainter 6-2 So
Jimmy Saris 5-9 Fr.
Joe Acosta 6-2 Fr.
Jared Hintzsche 6-8 Sr.
Robert Strzemp 6-3 Jr.

Collectively Elmhurst shoots the 3 well, but they really only have 2 primary 3 point shooters in Burks and Ryder who are each shooting over 50% from the arc and have taken well over half the teams 3 point attempts.

Obviously the big task is dealing with 6-9 Brent Ruch in the paint, he and Ryan Burk are averaging 19.7 and 18 points respectively on the season.  Hope's actually done quite well against big men recently, but this seems like a different beast. 

No one else averages double digits but against Tri-State Ryder and Childs picked up the scoring slack to lead the Bluejays with 17 and 19.  The Bluejays outrebound opponenets by 8 per game, this has been a soft spot for Hope this season, so its a concern.

Elmhurst is lethal from the stripe with an 85.7% mark on the season, averaging about 20 trips per game.  Hope will have difficulty if they foul like they did last night.

Should be a good D3 matchup and as the season plays it out it could be a really nice feather in the cap.  Pretty important game for both teams.

[Pat Coleman]

Patience certainly isn't my virtue. But frankly, I'm not so concerned about the home games because I'll be watching live. I'd love to see the away games broadcast--especially the tournament games. Is it a matter of the facilities? Couldn't they (who ever the 'they' is) at least broadcast the NCAA final four games? (I know, I'm REALLY getting ahead of myself here). Thanks for the info though! If Calvin has the capabilities, you know Hope will follow, and it will be great to see some of the Hope games too.

The Final Four games have been broadcast on video each of the past two years already.

[sac]

Although I think Hope may have worn Roanoke out to a degree a big part of Hope starting to pull away in the last ten minutes is they finally started to hit shots.  

Absolutely correct.  At 13:02 its was 42-41 Hope, Hope made 8 of its next 11 shots.  They finished the game makeing 11-20 shots from the floor and 12-15 from the stripe in the final 13  minutes.

Neither team shot the ball well, Hope just seemed to shoot a little better down the stretch.

[sac]

Here's the link to todays Hope/Elmhurst livestats, broadcast at miaa.org

http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/livestats/

I'm going to miss quite a bit of this game today. 

[GoKnights68]

The satellite parties just got updated for the Hope-Calvin game.

Calvin is on the left column, Hope on the right.

http://www.hopecalvin.com/gather/

Amazing... 62 sites!

Does this happen with any other schools our size. I'm proud to contribute, and got us on the map out here...

I notice Hawaii does not have a location... Anyone up for mid January '09 on the islands??? I'd be happy to put something together there!  8) I'm guessing finding someone to serve beer at 9:00 in the morning may be the biggest issue!!!  Just looked at the newest alumni directory for Hope and there are 30 people listed in Hawaii... could happen.

Forgot to post the link to if you really do want to host a satellite watch party!  Here ya go!

http://www.calvinhope.com/contact.htm

[HopeConvert]

Sounds as if Ruchs is going to be a real good test for Hope (or will Hope be a good test for Ruchs). After watching Klein play Lazic, I feel a little better about this matchup. But it's not going to be easy, and will be telling come the MIAA season.

[Erm Schmigget]

Sounds as if Ruchs is going to be a real good test for Hope (or will Hope be a good test for Ruchs). After watching Klein play Lazic, I feel a little better about this matchup. But it's not going to be easy, and will be telling come the MIAA season.

6'9" Ruch misses a layup...6'0" DVS gets the rebound.  Sounds like Hope will be a good test for Ruch.

[Erm Schmigget]

19-7 Hope at the first timeout

30-16 Hope with 7:15 left.

But... Got to take better care of the ball.

[Erm Schmigget]

30-16 Hope with 7:15 left.

But... Got to take better care of the ball.

First 7min--no turnovers.  Next 9min--9 turnovers.  Ouch!

Edit: Add one more at 3:56.  Come on guys!

[HopeConvert]

This is ridiculous. Protect the ball!

[scottiedawg]

38-37 Hope at the half

VanderHeide with 12
Sharples 7
Wolfe 7

Ruch 10 and 5
Burks 11

12 turnovers for the Dutchmen, mostly late in the half