MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Erm Schmigget]

I'm not much of one for rituals or superstitions, but last Saturday, veragrace "helped" me cross over into one superstition regarding apparel.

She has a new supplier of hoodies and picked up a nice new orange one last week.  Saturday morning she showed it to me and said she was going to wear it to the game.  "Sounds like a good idea," I said.  When game time drew near and we changed out of our Saturday grubbies and into our Orange and Blues for the game, she asked me one of those questions.

As she was pulling on her "yummy" new hoodie (I guess that's what you call nice warm stuff like that when you're a girl), she asked me, "Do you think I should wear this new sweatshirt tonight, or go with something that's more tried-and-true?"

   

Now, just for reference, there are certain questions you just don't ask and certain things you just don't say out loud if you're going to have superstitions.  Like when you come to the end of a good day of skiing or snowboarding, you just don't say, "I think this will be my last run."  We actually sent a friend to the hospital after a great day on the slopes with a church outing, just minutes after he uttered those words.  OOPS!!!  You just don't say those kinds of things!

Okay, so back to veragrace and the new orange hoodie.  With the ring of the last tone of that question, everything in the house ceased.  Even the cats stopped chasing each other around.  What could I say?  "Well, now that you just asked that question out loud..."

Mind you, we're not superstitous by nature, either of us.  We sometimes like to kid around with little things like, "That player is wearing different color shoes than the rest of his team.  That could be good for us."  Silly little stuff like that, that we rarely ever revisit at the end of the game.  But this is the big dance (...or little big dance, being that it's small college hoops).  You just don't kid around at times like this.  If you even mention the notion that it might make a difference...it will make a difference!

She wore a navy long-sleeved T under the orange DeVos T that was handed out at the opening game of the venue.  Tried and true orange and blue.

Hope won by 20.

[sac]

We are a weird bunch.

[northb]

Ironic that Marcus becomes Hope player #31 to cross the 1,000 point mark........and Marcus wears number 31.

Is that irony or coincidence?

[realist]

We are a weird bunch.

Thats for sure.  I like to have some peppermints in my pocket in case I vocalize a bit too much.  Now I learn that this makes me super....

[Civic Minded]

We are a weird bunch.

Undoubtedly.  But we haven't heard YOUR confessions yet!   

[monsoon]

We are a weird bunch.

Undoubtedly.  But we haven't heard YOUR confessions yet!   

Nor yours...

[sac]

When it comes to rankings,  on the one hand ........

Its my own personal opinion that reputation is being put before merit sometimes.

At one point this season 7 teams from the WIAC and UAA were ranked along with 3 CCIW teams and a 4th receiving votes.  10 of the top 25 from 3 conferences?  D3's a much bigger world than that I believe.

On the other hand...........

Its has been a pretty wide open season.  14 different teams have received a #1 vote (including Williams, Brock St who won't finish the year in the poll), I believe  only 1 week was the #1 slot unanimous.

Hope was #4 the week they last lost to Albion, and dropped only to #6 after #1 Washington lost twice, #3 Rochester lost, #5Capital lost,  #6 Puget sound lost.

Since that poll the 5 teams ranked ahead of Hope (Amherst, UM-Dartmouth, Rochester, Whitewater, Centre) all lost at least once, UMD and Rochester 3 times.

Of the pre-season Top 10, only 3 remained in the top 10 in the final reagular season poll.......Amherst, Guilford and Augustana......only Amherst remains in the tournament.

Pretty tough year for the voters.

[sac]

Ironic that Marcus becomes Hope player #31 to cross the 1,000 point mark........and Marcus wears number 31.

Is that irony or coincidence?

We don't care which, either way its cool.  8)

We are a weird bunch.

Undoubtedly.  But we haven't heard YOUR confessions yet!  

We cannot speak of these things, for we don't want to mess up the mojo.

[Pat Coleman]

When it comes to rankings,  on the one hand ........

Its my own personal opinion that reputation is being put before merit sometimes.

At one point this season 7 teams from the WIAC and UAA were ranked along with 3 CCIW teams and a 4th receiving votes.  10 of the top 25 from 3 conferences?  D3's a much bigger world than that I believe.

On the other hand...........

Its has been a pretty wide open season.  14 different teams have received a #1 vote (including Williams, Brock St who won't finish the year in the poll), I believe  only 1 week was the #1 slot unanimous.

I'll say this, too -- during the regular season there really isn't a single team in the country that plays a diverse enough schedule to really merit a high ranking. With nearly 400 teams now playing Division III men's basketball, every poll up until the final one requires a large amount of guesswork and taking things on faith.

If you're in the Centennial and want to fill out your schedule with the infamous "like-minded institutions" then how can someone accurately rank you? Gettysburg, for example, is in the Sweet 16 and hasn't beaten one ranked opponent. Nor do I think anyone would suggest Scranton and Salem State be ranked, and I doubt more than a couple people would advocate ranking Elms.

There are some brackets in which there were no ranked teams, so obviously none could advance. But it's a testament to how many good teams and how few great teams there are this year that so many unranked teams advanced.

[Civic Minded]

We are a weird bunch.

Undoubtedly.  But we haven't heard YOUR confessions yet!   

Nor yours...

Ah, um, ahem,  <mumble, mumble, mumble> mojo, yeah, mojo <mumble, mumble>   8)

I'll confess later on.  It won't be worthy of waiting for, though, I'm afraid!   

[sac]

True Pat, the big hole in this years poll seems to be the lack of Middle Atlantic, Atlantic and East Region teams that were "voteable".  The NJAC's diminished reputation hasn't helped either.

Alot of conferences that would typically get a 2nd team voted, didn't have one emerge untill very late in the season.  Ohio Wesleyan as an example, or Heidelberg from the OAC, or a 2nd MIAC school, or a solid HCAC school.  Even the MIAA with Albion could be included.  Strange year for the poll.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

We are a weird bunch.

HOPEfully your not just now discovering that

Just got back from business in Columbus.  Last night I drove directly past the OWU campus in Deleware.  I did resist the urge to see if I could sneak a peek at practice.

[hope1]

before the game starts i go to the restrooms  then have pop corn and mountain dew  then at half time we always have skittles they have been good luck this seasson.

maybe this week we all schould wear orange shorts  like the flying dutch fan it is supposed to warm up i think orange shorts and orange shirt and orange hat

[hope1]

it was nice i got there for tickets at  9.30  they started to sell them at 9.00 i thought is was to be 10.00  but i got my 6 and the same seats  looks like a sell out for friday night

[Civic Minded]

before the game starts i go to the restrooms  then have pop corn and mountain dew  then at half time we always have skittles they have been good luck this seasson.

maybe this week we all schould wear orange shorts  like the flying dutch fan it is supposed to warm up i think orange shorts and orange shirt and orange hat

Noooooooooo!