Calvin 88 Hope 64

I Got Nothing

Calvin 88  Hope  64
Box
Recap

I've been really fortunate to have been able to see  these games going back to about 2005.  That's around 30 contests +/- the various post-season games.  I cannot think of too many I was so disappointed in an outcome as this one.  Hope's a much better team at this point than last year, Hope's better than they showed Saturday.  So I got nothing.

My analysis and thoughts on this one won't be very in-depth, deep, or frankly very good.  Probably not worth reading which is kind of the point because its really not worth reviewing this game and more important to just move on.

To be truthful this probably qualifies as the highlight

   
Efficiency:

Hope  93.88   Calvin  128.65

If you felt like you were watching a Hope team playing its worst offensive game, you were.  If you felt like you were watching a Calvin team playing it best offensive game, you almost were.

Hope's first half eff was a dreadful 70 and they actually did a pretty good job on Calvin defensively holding them to an eff of just 100.  The 2nd half Hope began attacking the basket more and making a few more shots and ended up at 107, which isn't 70.  It was probably higher until Hope fell apart with the game tied at 48.  They didn't hold Calvin to anything in the 2nd half as they ripped off an eff of 150.  It was a slaughter, there were wooden shoes everywhere.

Pace:

68-68   Normal, expected.  TV timeouts didn't even affect the game.
 
Rebounding:
Hope 38  Calvin  38

Hope had 33% of available offensive rebounds
Trine had 38% of available offensive rebounds

2nd chance points was 10-12, so no big deal.  In a close game maybe you could grouse about this.  But I think this is pretty close to season avg's for both teams.


3-point shooting

Calvin came into that game shooting 37% on the year
Hope came into that game defending at 25% on the year
Calvin shot 50%  11-22

Hope came into that game shooting 40% on the year
Calvin came into that game defending at 37% on the year
Hope shot 31%  9-29

In a nutshell, that's the whole game really.

Random Thoughts:

File it away and forget it

Up Next:
Albion (8-4, 1-1)
Wednesday, January 14 at DeVos Fieldhouse

Desperation. Desperation. Desperation. Desperation.

Roster
Stats
Schedule
Media Guide

Probable Lineup:
G  Vince Hill  5-10  Sr.
G  Corey Wheeler  6-0  Fr.
G  Zach Hurth  6-2  Sr.
F  Jordan Herron  6-4  Jr.
F  Carter Elliot  6-7  Sr.
--------------------------------------
F  Travell Oakes  6-2  Jr.
G  Robert Ryan  5-7  Fr.
G  Dakota Kazen  6-2  Jr.
G/F  De'Tavia Moore 6-3  Jr.
G/F  Lucas Marble  6-3  Jr.

That starting five has been used since the Elmhurst game.  Substitutions are frequent and most subs on that list will see 10 minutes of game action, Oakes and Ryan closer to 20.  Any other subs are minimal minute guys to give Elliot and Herron some rest, any positive contribution from them is kind of a bonus.  The Britons are very thin on the front line, and become very small when Elliot goes out....but there is no team I can recall that plays taller, even past Albion teams.  They are remarkable.

Herron is Albion's top offensive player, at 6-4 can put the ball on the floor with the best in the league and has developed a nice mid-range touch.  Elliot is a bruiser but about 7th on the pecking order for shots, after them Albion goes small or goes to Fr. or little used subs to steal interior minutes.  Foul trouble for them becomes a big problem.  Oakes might be the teams best rebounder and player pound for pound and can be found mixing it up in the paint on most trips.

Guard play is good with Corey Wheeler becoming their top offensive option.  Corey's only 6-0 but is a pretty complete player, if that's possible to say about a Freshmen.  He impressed me against Elmhurst.  Capable inside and outside and a good defender.  Hill, Hurth, Ryan and Kazen are all capable offensive players.

The Britons aren't a great offensive team, they shoot just 41% as a team, 36% behind the arc and a pretty poor 62% from the FT line.  For efficiency they are just playing at a 101 on offense which includes a 150 game against Earlham because Earlham is awful.  They might be the only team in the country to have 7 below 100 performances on offense and still have a winning record.  Defensively the Britons have been stellar, recording a defensive eff rate of just 88.  The best anyone has been able to do against them is Mt. St. Joseph's 102.  Albion has recorded 8 games below a 90 eff., which is just outstanding.

Defense is where Albion is getting it done with a top 10 FG%, and top 10 points allowed ranking nationally.  If you remember Albion's 2003 to 2006 teams its a lot like that without the size.  What makes them good on defense is their guards who collectively are pretty quick and play more physical than most guards.  Size might be a problem but it doesn't seem to matter for the Brits who seem to play above their size and can rebound with the best of them.

Masseyratings.com has the Britons rated #50 with a schedule ranking of #31, so they've played good teams, including just a 4 point loss to Augustana.  Massey likes Hope by 7 and I'm not sure about that, seems high.  The predicted score of 66-59 is probably high.  Albion games are neither slow nor average and this one will probably be a pretty low possession game unless Hope can find a way to up the tempo.

It's not going to be pretty.


Also Up Next:

Less of me.  Back in November I wasn't sure I wanted to do either this blog or participate on the d3hoops.com message boards as much as I had in the past.  But Hope had a great schedule and I thought I could make it work to see some really great games and programs, which I did.  I've reached that point in the year where there probably aren't any games in Holland I'll be able to see and any road trips are kind of up in the air.  I don't really like writing these things without having been at the games in person, and that's going to be troublesome the rest of the way.

Lastly I've been a participant on the d3hoops.com boards for a very long time, much longer than I ever thought I would or probably should have continued doing.  Because of that board I've met some great people along the way who share an interest in D3 basketball and its been great fun.  I'm pretty certain my contributions are less and less appreciated and its probably a good time to take a break and maybe rethink if I want to contribute in the future.

I'm going to leave this blog up for awhile and may end up writing a thing or two along the way.  Feel free to say hello if you see me at an MIAA gym in the future, I do like talking basketball and learning new things.