box
 |
| ...and we wait. |
Four minutes twenty eight seconds into this latest chapter of this rivalry Calvin coach Kevin VandeStreak was forced to burn a timeout moments before the first media timeout. It was getting away early, Hope had just made a 3 to lead 11-2 and things were looking very similar to the last time we got together. Not many people knew it at the time, but many suspected, the rout was on. What nobody probably realized was the team needing the timeout would do the routing.
Over the next 10 minutes Hope had the ball roughly 15 times, they missed 7 shots and committed 7 turnovers. Most of these, both turnover and misses, the result of a tenacious defense that Calvin seemed unwilling to display in the previous two games. It was the moments this game turned.
Once the game turned there were very few moments that made you feel it would turn back. This was still a game 4 minutes into the second half, then 3 straight Calvin 3's and it really wasn't anymore. One more long stretch of good Calvin defense and really none by Hope and a reasonable margin turned into 25.
click for the pain
That 3 guard thing:
I don't know that you can credit Kevin VandeStreak's decision to use 3 guards as the reason Calvin won this one. I'd put a lot more of that credit on playing harder and with greater effort on the defensive end than Hope did. The 3 guards took Jordan Daley off Ben Gardner and allowed him to stay on the floor rather than sit on the pine like the previous two games. Calvin still spent a lot of this with its very tall and long front line, they simply defended much better than the previous two games. The 3 guards gave Hope something to think about and that was about it for me, other than it completely smacking of desperation.
On top of that, Calvin hoisted some shots that during the regular season aren't necessarily great decisions but when you are desperate and playing to survive you do things that come naturally as a player, they just made them. What VandeStreak really deserves credit for is keeping a kid like Visser engaged enough throughout the season to know he could win you a game at some point, maybe his back-to-back threes didn't win it but they were surely the fatal wounds.
Post-season ball:
Its different. The intensity is different, the margin for error is different, the energy needed to win is different. Hope played two desperate teams last week and didn't respond to either very well. Its a hard lesson, one I'm hopeful the younger players file away for future reference.
I don't like to say that a team reached a point of satisfaction in their accomplishment, but Hope's looking like it.
Only the third time:
This is only the third time the season series has been swept with the other winning the tournament game. Those other two belonged to Hope in 2002 and 2009.
In 1991 Hope did the season sweep and lost in the NCAA's to Calvin.
Efficiency:
 |
Estimated number of possessions: Hope 73 Calvin 69
The difference probably deserves a math explanation but who cares. There was nothing exceptionally fast or slow about this game.
Offensively Efficiency: 73.10
Hideous covers it. 73 first half, 73 second half. Hope's previous low was 87 in that Kresge game thing. Defense has been a little hit or miss for Calvin this year but this joins another handful of very good defensive games for them, most notable holding CCIW Tournament Champion Wheaton to the same efficiency.
Defensive Efficiency: 112.68
I was actually surprised to see such a normal number, the reason was Hope was actually pretty good on the defensive end in the first half holding Calvin to an eff of 85. It all fell apart in the second half with an eff of 139. Probably here I remind you Calvin was #1 in offensive efficiency in the Great Lakes in my last efficiency update.
Rebounding Efficiency:
Hope: 21.6% of available offensive rebounds
Calvin: 28.9% of available offensive rebounds
2nd Chance points: Calvin 11 Hope 8
I'm not believing any of these numbers. This wasn't 'even' or looked even like 40-39 says.
Other Interesting Stats:
Hustle:
Isn't a stat but Calvin won this hands down. In the 50-50 battles for boards and loose balls I don't think Hope won many of these. There's getting beat because the other guy is better than you and there's getting beat because you let the other guy be better than you.
Going Forward:
Its a grey overcast day with a cold biting wind from the North. The land has never looked more stark and lifeless, you are alone with this misery. As you stare out over the vast landscape, pull that crumpled piece of paper out of your pocket.....
at Whitewater
at Stevens Point
Wheaton
Carthage
Illinois Wesleyan
Centre
You've done all you were asked to do. Curse the vanquishers if you must. Rub that cross between your thumb and fingers one more time. Gaze to the sky for one brilliant beam of light. Check your phone messages one more time.
Up Next: Me vs potentially committing a felony outside the NCAA offices
 |
| What did you think of the performance of your now healthy team Tom? |
No comments:
Post a Comment