Scores and Schedule: April 23, 2013

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Tim

I’m assuming – perhaps incorrectly – that I’ll be talking about Michigan’s first win of the year right about here.

Yesterday’s Results

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Pioneer 10, Ann Arbor Huron 5
Saline 13, Ann Arbor Skyline 4
Dexter 10, Chelsea 0
Cranbrook 17, Brighton 5
Farmington North-Harrison 12, Dearborn Divine Child 5
Plymouth 9, Farmington 4
Flint Powers 10, Grand Blanc 7
Ypsilanti Lincoln 14, Ypsilanti 7
Northview 9, Lowell 4
Grosse Pointe South 11, Romeo 2
Royal Oak 19, Utica Stevenson 2
Spring Lake 15, Grandville 5
Brother Rice Orange 7, South Lyon 4
Tecumseh @ Sylvania (Ohio) Southview
Salem @ West Bloomfield
Walled Lake Western @ Grosse Ile
Canton @ Waterford

High School Girls

Ann Arbor Pioneer 14, Ann Arbor Huron 2
Caledonia 12, Forest Hills United 9
Northville 11, Canton 10
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 17, Mattawan United 0
Brighton 13, Grand Blanc 7
Hartland 17, Waterford United 7
Flint Powers 23, Midland Dow 5
Farmington Hills Harrison 12, Dexter 7
South Lyon United 17, Novi 5
Okemos 17, Holt 0
Salem 10, Plymouth 4
Rochester 23, West Bloomfield 10
East Grand Rapids 14, Rockford 9
Saline 12, Ann Arbor Skyline 2
Lowell @ Holland West Ottawa
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek @ Rochester Adams
Lansing Waverly @ DeWitt
Grand Haven @ Grandville
Northview @ Grand Rapids Christian
Livonia Ladywood @ Warren Regina
Walled Lake United @ White Lake Lakeland
Troy @ Lake Orion
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard @ Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

Today’s Schedule

High School Boys

West Bloomfield @ Ann Arbor Greenhills
Royal Oak @ Auburn Hills Avondale
Bay City Western @ Bay City Central
Flint Powers @ Bay City Central
Portage Northern @ Battle Creek Harper Creek
Ionia @ Battle Creek Lakeview
Cranbrook @ Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Troy @ Bloomfield Hills
Romulus @ Belleville
Grand Rapids Christian @ Caledonia
Rochester Adams @ Clarkston
Zeeland @ Comstock Park
Detroit Catholic Central @ UD-Jesuit
Haslett-Williamston @ East Lansing
Saginaw Heritage @ Davison
Forest Hills Central @ Forest Hills Eastern
Holland West Ottawa @ Grand Haven
Holland Christian @ Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Okemos @ Holt
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer @ Hudsonville
L’Anse Creuse North @ L’Anse Creuse
DeWitt @ Lansing Waverly
Bay City Western @ Midland
Kalamazoo United @ Mattawan
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard @ Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Farmington North-Harrison @ Oxford
Vicksburg @ Battle Creek Pennfield
Grand Ledge @ Portage Central
Lake Orion @ Rochester
East Grand Rapids @ Rockford
Grandville @ Grand Rapids South Christian
St. Clair United @ Swartz Creek
Rochester Stoney Creek @ Troy Athens
Grosse Pointe North @ Utica Eisenhower
Utica Stevenson @ Warren Cousino
Port Huron @ Warren Mott-Sterling Heights

High School Girls

Portage Northern @ Battle Creek Harper Creek
Holt @ Grand Haven
East Lansing @ Williamston-Haslett
Flushing @ Flint Powers
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard @ Ann Arbor Skyline
East Lansing @ Troy Athens

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Updated MAAC Bracketology

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tim

Update: Yeah, I read the standings wrong and thought Siena and Canisius had the same record coming into this weekend. They don’t. Siena will be the 3-seed no matter what.

The penultimate weekend of the 2013 regular season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is in the books, so we have an even clearer picture of where things stand when it comes to the MAAC playoffs. Thursday’s post is still in play, but could stand some updating.

April 27
Marist @ Manhattan
VMI @ Siena
Detroit @ Canisius

The two impactful games from the weekend went as expected: Marist and Jacksonville (barely) held serve against Siena and Canisius. The third game actually saw an upset, with VMI removing itself form Reverse Survivor contention by earning its first win of the year over fellow bottom-dweller Manhattan.

Jacksonville has finished its conference slate, but the remaining teams in the league all play this Saturday to settle things once and for all. Fortunately, most of the seeds are already locked in:

1. Marist (5-0, head-to-head over 5-1 Jacksonville)
2. Jacksonville (5-1, complete schedule)
3/4/5. Siena/Canisius/Detroit (see below).
6/7. VMI/Manhattan (irrelevant to the tournament).

Figuring out 3/4/5

Things still aren’t settled in the middle of the conference, thanks to the results going as expected over the weekend. IGNORE THIS PART, IT’S WRONG: Siena could technically drop down to the four-seed, but cannot miss the tournament. Canisius could end up anywhere from 3-5, whereas Detroit will either sneak into the tournament as the 4-seed thanks to a tiebreaker, or miss as the 5-seed.

How can Siena become the No. 4? It requires both a loss to VMI and a Canisius win over Detroit. Of course, the loss to VMI is practically unthinkable (TempoFreeLax says it’s less than 5% likely to happen), so I wouldn’t spend too much time thinking about this scenario. VMI may have a bit of momentum after beating Manhattan, but it takes more than that to beat Siena. Canisius would be 4-2 in conference, and Siena would be 3-3. Detroit would actually tie for fifth in the league with VMI at 2-4.

Assuming the Saints take care of business against the Keydets, that means

Detroit and Canisius are playing for that final spot in the MAAC Tournament Saturday afternoon at Titan Field. A Golden Griffins win gives them a 4-2 record in the conference and the 4-seed (Siena holds the tiebreaker for No. 3) in the league championship. A Titans win means the teams tie in-conference at 3-3, but gives UDM the head-to-head tiebreaker.

TempoeFreeLax.com gives Detroit a 54.05% chance of winning.

The Likely Bracket

That all means we’re likely to see the following matchups in the first round of the MAAC tournament:

1. Marist v. 4. Detroit/Canisius
2. Jacksonville v. 3 Siena

The tournament takes place in Buffalo, so if Detroit knocks out Canisius, there will be no home-field advantage for anyone. If Canisius wins Saturday, they have that extra bit of juice to potentially knock off No. 1. This is also the shortest road trip in the league for Detroit, so if they manage to qualify, some of their traditional disadvantages may be neutralized.

Stay tuned Saturday to see how the final two games shake out.

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Detroit 9, Marquette 14

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tim

In hindsight, I guess it’s not that surprising that Detroit didn’t really show up to play against Marquette. It was clear Wednesday evening that their first and only priority was winning the league, so the last two non-conference games would be ultimately meaningless.

Tempo Free

From the official box score, a look at the tempo-free stats:

Marquette 2013
Detroit Marquette
Faceoff Wins 14 Faceoff Wins 13
Clearing 10-13 Clearing 14-16
Possessions 29 Possessions 32
Goals 9 Goals 14
Offensive Efficiency .310 Offensive Efficiency .438(!)

This game was pretty even in terms of possessions. Despite limited attempts for the players who have taken over faceoffs, UDM actually won that metric, and the clears were close enough. It was UDM’s utter incapability to stop anyone that was the problem.

Notes

Starting with the goalkeeping. Chris Kelly started (by the sounds of things, AJ Levell didn’t even travel)… and struggled. He saved just .391 of shots faced, and only half of Marquette’s 14 goals were assisted, so it’s not like he was being dunked on after his defense totally sold him out. This was his first game action in ages, so it took him about a quarter to get into the groove, but Marquette came out on fire after halftime, and he didn’t do much to drag his team up by the bootstraps.

Speaking about the defense itself is important, because the game-long numbers are mostly terrible. The Titans ran with the normal starters for most of the contest, so it’s not like Kelly was completely set up to fail. Still, Only eight caused turnovers in 32 is not how the Titans win games. Jordan Houtby had a great evening with two CTs and eight ground balls.

I mentioned faceoffs above… and it’s odd that Detroit didn’t go with Damien Hicks a little more. If it’s a strategy to keep him (and Levell) healthy for the regular-season ender against Canisius – a do-or-die game for the playoffs – then I guess that’s fine. It’s still a little embarrassing to treat a non-conference game like a scrimmage and not roll with some of your best talent. That said, Brandon Davenport was pretty good on faceoffs, so it didn’t really kill the Titans anyway. Slightly above .500, considering the season-long success rate for UDM is well below that, is good.

So, when the defense is bad, it’s the offense’s job to bail it out, right? That’s not going to be a regular occurrence for this UDM team which – while it has an improving offense – has relied on the opposite strategy with a good defense propping up a mediocre offense. When the defense struggles uncharacteristically, it’s going to be big trouble in a game, and that cam to fruition here.

Alex Maini was (unsurprisingly) the leader of the unit. He scored three goals on seven shots. Sophomore Mike Birney is coming along, but his three goals were a product of plenty of volume shooting. He took ten shots – albeit seven of them on goal – to get those numbers. Scott Drummond had just one goal, but notched three assists. Some who were in attendance let me know that there were some missed opportunities on the doorstep, but in a five-goal game (that wasn’t even really that close for much of the second half), it would have taken converting all of those opportunities to make the difference on the scoreboard.

So, Detroit is the most-penalized team in the country, eh? How does seven penalties for 6:00 sound? Marquette’s man-up was 4/7 on the day, and that’s probably plenty enough – especially when coupled with the defense’s fatigue from killing off so many penalties – to be the difference in the game. I’ve seen a handful of Detroit games in each of the past three years, and I know they might be unfairly targeted by officials at times, but you simply can’t win that many games with that (deserved) reputation for being overly physical. There’s a chicken-and-egg problem (Wisconsin basketball has a reputation for being physical, so they get away with some things that probably should be fouls), but until you earn the benefit of the doubt with some wins on the field… the calls speak for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, this was the best offensive day in Marquette’s history as a program. Tyler Melnyk (4G, 2A), Kyle Whitlow (3G), Conor Gately (2A), and the duo of Bryan Badolato and Connor Bernal (2G apiece) all put up plenty of scoring.

Elsewhere

The official boxscore. Detroit official site recap. Official photo gallery. Marquette recap. Game highlights:

Oddly, for a team that didn’t score many assisted goals, almost every one shown in the highlight features an assist.

Up Next

Fortunately for Detroit, they’re at a point in the year where non-conference losses (even to teams that have been smoked by Michigan and Saint Joseph’s over the course of this season) don’t matter. It’s about qualifying for, and competing in, the MAAC Tournament.

The Titans’ next game is their opportunity to earn that berth, and see what they can do with the chance they give themselves. It’s senior day Saturday at Titan Field, and the opponent is a Canisius squad that Detroit should be able to dispatch. As we’ve seen this year, “should” isn’t enough. Time to put up or shut up.

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Scores and Schedule: April 22, 2013

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tim

I’m assuming – perhaps incorrectly – that I’ll be talking about Michigan’s first win of the year right about here.

Yesterday’s Results

Division-1 Women

Detroit 22, Kennesaw State 3

Division-3 Women

Olivet 7, Pacific (Ore.) 18

MCLA-1

Western Michigan 13, Toledo 3

MCLA-2

Siena Heights 9, Wabash 2

High School Boys 

Novi 12, Northville 11 (OT)

Today’s Schedule

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Pioneer @ Ann Arbor Huron
Saline @ Ann Arbor Skyline
Dexter @ Chelsea
Brighton @ Cranbrook
Dearborn Divine Child @ Farmington North-Harrison
Plymouth @ Farmington
Flint Powers @ Grand Blanc
Walled Lake Western @ Grosse Ile
Ypsilanti @ Ypsilanti Lincoln
Lowell @ Northview
Grosse Pointe South @ Romeo
Utica Stevenson @ Royal Oak
Grandville @ Spring Lake
Brother Rice Orange @ South Lyon
Tecumseh @ Sylvania (Ohio) Southview
Salem @ West Bloomfield

High School Girls

Rochester Hills Stoney Creek @ Rochester Adams
Ann Arbor Pioneer @ Ann Arbor Huron
Forest Hills United @ Caledonia
Northville @ Canton
Mattawan United @ Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Lansing Waverly @ DeWitt
Grand Haven @ Grandville
Brighton @ Grand Blanc
Northview @ Grand Rapids Christian
Waterford United @ Hartland
Livonia Ladywood @ Warren Regina
Walled Lake United @ White Lake Lakeland
Troy @ Lake Orion
Flint Powers @ Midland Dow
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard @ Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Dexter @ Farmington Hills Harrison
South Lyon United @ Novi
Holt @ Okemos
Salem @ Plymouth
West Bloomfield @ Rochester
East Grand Rapids @ Rockford
Ann Arbor Skyline @ Saline
Lowell @ Holland West Ottawa

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Michigan 11, Saint Joseph’s 8

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Tim

Win Two.

Tempo Free

From the official box score, a look at the tempo-free stats:

Saint Joseph’s 2013
Saint Joseph’s Michigan
Faceoff Wins 9 Faceoff Wins 13
Clearing 10-14 Clearing 10-10
Possessions 23 Possessions 27
Goals 8 Goals 11
Offensive Efficiency .348 Offensive Efficiency .407

I’ll be honest… either stats were improperly kept for this game (I know the team’s primary statistician was not available), or an insanely slow game that featured exactly no defense. I lean toward the latter without having seen the game, because such a performance is just so far out of character for Michigan.

Notes

In a game where the offense practically explodes (despite playing by far the fewest possessions of any game this year, Michigan hit double-digit goals for the second time this season), it’s tough to give too much credit to the D, but… Gerald Logan, man. His .652 save percentage is pretty impressive on its own, but taking a look at his late-game heroics really draws that into perspective. He faced 13 shots on goal in the second half, and saved 11 of them. After his team went down 8-7, he saved the final nine shots on goal while his teammates rallied with four straight goals to seal the win. That’s huge.

Also huge in turning the momentum: faceoffs. Michigan was mediocre in the first half, finishing just below .500 (Kevin Wylie was exactly .500 with a win on two draws, while Brad Lott was 5/11). After that, it was dominance, with Lott taking 7/9 after the break. Lott also scored his first career goal in the game. His lack of experience (missing all of fall and most of the pres-season practices due to injury, then missing the first game due to suspension) was the bigger issue than a lack of talent all year. He’ll be a bright spot going forward.

As for the bulk of the offense, look to the usual suspects. Senior midfielder Thomas Paras has three goals and two assists, and freshman midfielder Kyle Jackson has two goals and two assists. Sophomore attack Will Meter had two goals. Freshman middie Mike Hernandez didn’t have a huge day, with just a single goal. Speaking of Paras, he was not listed among the Senior Day honorees… it would be huge for this team in 2014 if he were to use his fifth year of eligibility.

Volume shooting is still a thing for this Michigan team, with Meter and Paras each launching eight (five on goal) and Jackson putting up nine – only four on goal. Quite a bit more research is required to determine whether missed shots (on or off goal) are necessarily a bad thing, what with clean saves, backup, etc. coming into play. I’m not ready to do that research just yet, but definitely keep an eye on this team’s tendency going forward.

Michigan limited the turnovers in a huge way, committing only seven for the game. That’s two straight with single-digit TOs, a huge improvement over some of the sloppiness earlier in the year. Five of those were caused by the Hawks, so only two uncaused in this win.

Michigan also didn’t force a whole lot the other way, with St. Joe’s committing only eight total, and five caused by Wolverines. Going forward, the identity of this defense will not rely on caused turnovers, but the numbers will nudge upwards when Michigan has more talent at its disposal.

Mike Francia put in work on GBs, leading all players with six on the day. More impressively, he didn’t rack that up by playing the wing on faceoffs (only one GB he won was on the faceoff), so it was mostly old-fashioned hard work. Chase Brown, David Joseph and Brad Lott – all of whom did play significantly on faceoffs – had three apiece.

For the Hawks, attack Kyle Williams had a goal and two assists, while Matt Sarcona, Pat Swanick, and Johnny Simanski had two goals apiece. Dustin Keen made 12 goals between the pipes, but needed a couple more to get the win for his squad.

Elsewhere

The official boxscore. Michigan official site recap. Postgame notes. Official photo gallery. SJU recap. You can re-watch for “not free.” Play-by-play from Gametracker.

Up Next

Unfortunately, just as soon as Michigan capitalizes on building quite a bit of momentum… they have one game left, and it’s against the recently-dethroned No. 1 team in the country. The Wolverines will have to use that momentum to stay competitive against Denver, then build in the offseason.

The days of winning one game a year are likely over, but 2013 will end that way.

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Scores and Schedule: April 21, 2013

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Tim

I’m assuming – perhaps incorrectly – that I’ll be talking about Michigan’s first win of the year right about here.

Friday’s Results

Division-3 Women

Alma 14, Calvin 4
Adrian 16, Trine 3

MCLA-1

Central Michigan 8, Toledo 7

MCLA-2

Northwood 10, Lawrence Tech 7
Ferris State v. Taylor

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Pioneer 12, Warren De La Salle 6
Brighton 18, Walled Lake Northern 4
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 8, Caledonia 6
UD-Jesuit 12, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 3
Forest Hills Central 17, Grand Haven 3
Grand Rapids Christian 12, Northview 5
Grosse Pointe South 8, Grosse Pointe North 3
Howell 6, Grand Blanc 3
Holt 13, DeWitt 8
Hartland 22, Waterford 2
Ypsilanti Lincoln 14, Belleville 3
Lake Orion 10, Farmington North-Harrison 1
Northville 11, Walled Lake Western 9
Grosse Ile 17, Romulus 1
Royal Oak 20, Warren Cousino 8
Salem 13, Canton 5
Saline 12, Ann Arbor Huron 5
South Lyon 11, Plymouth 2
Ann Arbor Skyline @ Temperance Bedford
Tecumseh @ Chelsea
Ypsilanti @ Dexter
Walled Lake Central @ Huron Valley-Lakeland
South Christian @ Ionia
Farmington @ Royal Oak

High School Girls

Ann Arbor Pioneer 7, Lake Forest (Ill.) 15
Clarkston 9, Temperance Bedford 5
Grosse Pointe University Liggett 9, Dexter 8
Canton 10, Farmington Hills Harrison 3
Novi 16, Rochester 10
Ann Arbor Skyline 6, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius 10
West Bloomfield 14, Salem 2
Oxford 12, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 12
Northville 10, Waterford United 7
Temperance Bedford @ Rochester Adams
Birmingham United v. Hinsdale (Ill.) Central
Mattawan United @ Holland West Ottawa

Yesterday’s Results

Division-1 Men

Michigan 11, Saint Joseph’s 8
Detroit 9, Marquette 14

Division-3 Men

Albion 14, Hope 4
Calvin 3, Alma 2 (OT)
Adrian 14, Trine 4
Olivet 11, Baldwin-Wallace 7

Division-3 Women

Hope 18, Albion 12
Calvin 3, Pacific 10

MCLA-1

Central Michigan 9, Ohio 13
Michigan State 11, Davenport 1

MCLA-2

Siena Heights 18, Judson 3
Aquinas 5, Taylor 8
Ferris State 0, Indiana Tech 27
Grand Valley State 15, Dayton 7
Siena Heights 11, Butler 4
Oakland @ Northwood, 1 p.m.

High School Boys

Forest Hills Eastern 15, Ann Arbor Pioneer 9
St. Clair United 9, Bay City Central 5
Holland Christian 8, Bloomfield Hills 5
Clarkston 14, Toledo (Ohio) St. Frances DeSales 5
Cranbrook 13, Holt 3
UD-Jesuit 8, Birmingham Seaholm 6
Grand Haven 10, Grand Rapids Christian 2
Okemos 16, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2
Grandville 7, Comstock Park 5
Northview 14, Hudsonville 2
Portage Central 24, Kalamazoo Central 0
L’Anse Creuse 14, Port Huron 8
Utica Eisenhower 5, Lake Orion 1
Notre Dame Prep 8, East Grand Rapids 7
Oxford 11, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 5
Battle Creek Pennfield 14, Caledonia 9
Plymouth 15, Waterford 0
Spring Lake 13, Lowell 0
Troy 11, Novi 9
Haslett-Williamston 8, Rochester Adams 7

High School Girls

Ann Arbor Pioneer 5, Hinsdale (Ill.) Central 13
Ann Arbor Pioneer 14, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius 7
Bloomfield Hills Lahser 11, Forest Hills United 8
Forest Hills United 9, Cranbrook-Kingswood 8
Eat Grand Rapids 15, Bloomfield Hills Lahser 4
Caledonia 11, Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius 3
Caledonia 6, Lake Forest (Ill.) 9
Battle Creek Harper Creek 6, DeWitt 5
DeWitt 9, Lowell 4
DeWitt 6, Swartz Creek 1
East Grand Rapids 8, Birmingham United 2
East Grand Rapids 15, Detroit Country Day 2
Hartland 12, Cranbrook-Kingswood 4
Hartland 8, Bloomfield Hills Marian 2
Hartland 4, Okemos 4
Grand Rapids Catholic Central 7, Bloomfield Hills Marian 6
Okemos 13, Detroit Country Day 0
Forest Hills United 7, Okemos 6
Rockford 13, Detroit Country Day 0
Rockford 7, Bloomfield Hills Marian 4
Rockford 10, Cranbrook-Kingswood 4
Saginaw Heritage 3, Warren Regina 2
South Lyon United 3, Livonia Ladywood 3
South Lyon United 9, White Lake-Lakeland 3

Today’s Schedule

Division-1 Women

Detroit v. Kennesaw State, 1 p.m. (Titan Field)

Division-3 Women

Pacific @ Olivet

MCLA-1

Western Michigan @ Toledo, 3:30 p.m.

MCLA-2

Siena Heights @ Wabash, 10 a.m.

High School Boys 

Novi @ Northville

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Scores and Schedule: April 19, 2013

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Tim

Weather will be causing a lot of issues this week.

Yesterday’s Results

High School Boys

Detroit Country Day 12, Cranbrook 11 (OT)
Utica Eisenhower 16, L’Anse Creuse 10
Flint Powers @ Bay City Western
Troy Athens @ Birmingham Seaholm
Clarkston @ Bloomfield Hills
Ann Arbor Greenhills @ Belleville
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s @ UD-Jesuit
Forest Hills Eastern @ East Grand Rapids
Grand Haven @ Forest Hills Central
Northview @ Grand Rapids Christian
Caledonia @ Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Zeeland @ Grandville
Lowell @ Holland Christian
DeWitt @ Holt
Midland @ Saginaw Heritage
South Christian @ Hudsonville
Rockford @ Holland West Ottawa
Battle Creek Harper Creek @ Kalamazoo United
Battle Creek Lakeview @ Mattawan
East Lansing @ Okemos
Royal Oak @ Oxford
Battle Creek Pennfield @ Portage Central
Rochester Adams @ Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
L’Anse Creuse North @ Romeo
Comstock Park @ Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
Farmington @ Troy
Anchor Bay @ Utica Stevenson
Portage Northern @ Vicksburg
Warren Mott-Sterling Heights @ Warren Cousino
Lansing Waverly @ Haslett-Williamston

High School Girls

Midland Dow @ Flushing
Detroit Country Day @ Grosse Pointe North
Ann Arbor Huron @ Grosse Pointe South
Grandville @ Spring Lake
Plymouth @ Swartz Creek
Waterford United @ Walled Lake United
Williamston-Haslett @ Lansing Waverly
Rochester Adams @ West Bloomfield

Today’s Schedule

Division-3 Women

Calvin @ Alma

MCLA-1

Central Michigan @ Toledo, 8 p.m.

MCLA-2

Northwood @ Lawrence Tech, 8 p.m.

High School Boys

Warren De La Salle @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Ann Arbor Skyline @ Temperance Bedford
Walled Lake Northern @ Brighton
Tecumseh @ Chelsea
Ypsilanti @ Dexter
Grand Haven @ Forest Hills Central
Northview @ Grand Rapids Christian
Grosse Pointe South @ Grosse Pointe North
Howell @ Grand Blanc
DeWitt @ Holt
Waterford @ Hartland
Walled Lake Central @ Huron Valley-Lakeland
South Christian @ Ionia
Belleville @ Ypsilanti Lincoln
Farmington North-Harrison @ Lake Orion
Walled Lake Western @ Northville
Grosse Ile @ Romulus
Warren Cousino @ Royal Oak
Farmington @ Royal Oak
Canton @ Salem
Ann Arbor Huron @ Saline
Plymouth @ South Lyon

High School Girls

Ann Arbor Pioneer v. Lake Forest (Ill.)
Temperance Bedford @ Rochester Adams
Birmingham United v. Hinsdale (Ill.) Central
Dexter @ Grosse Pointe University Liggett
Canton @ Farmington Hills Harrison
Grand Haven @ Portage Northern
Novi @ Rochester
Ann Arbor Skyline v. Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius
West Bloomfield @ Salem
Oxford @ Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
Northville @ Waterford United
Mattawan United @ Holland West Ottawa

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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Detroit and MAAC Bracketology

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Tim

The Michigan/Detroit game is behind us… without happening… so the immediate goal for the Titans is beating Marquette this weekend.

HOWEVA, that’s meaningless to the grand scheme of things in terms of the way their season plays out (which apparently means they just shouldn’t play it), and the big picture is all about the MAAC Tournament. Close losses against Jacksonville and Siena have made entry into the tournament non-guaranteed. How can things play out, seeding-wise, over the final two games of the season?

Remaining Games

The Titans and Jacksonville are the only MAAC teams with just one game remaining; everyone else has two. Those two teams fill the void with non-conference contests against Marquette (Detroit, this weekend) and Mercer (Jacksonville, next weekend). Here are the games still on the schedule:

April 20 April 27
Siena @ Marist Marist @ Manhattan
Jacksonville @ Canisius VMI @ Siena
Manhattan @ VMI Detroit @ Canisius

Who’s in

Let’s lay a couple ground rules here. Two teams already have four wins (Marist and Jacksonville), and are in no matter what. Two teams have four losses (Manhattan and VMI) and are out no matter what. In terms of who makes the tournament, the final two spots are up for grabs between three teams: Siena, Canisius, and Detroit. Siena has the head-to-head victory over both other teams, so the Saints are a win against VMI (spoiler alert: they’ll get it) from definitely qualifying.

If Canisius loses to Jacksonville (as expected based on the TempoFreeLax numbers), the Titans and Griffins will have the same 2-3 record, and the winner of the head-to-head next weekend is int the tournament with a 3-3 record while the other drops to 2-4. If Canisius beats Jacksonville, which would be a surprise, the Griffins would have a 3-2 record with Detroit at 2-3. Detroit could still make the tournament with a victory over Canisius (bringing both teams to 3-3 and giving UDM the head-to-head tiebreaker).

Seeding

Marist has a head-to-head win against Jacksonville and an auto-win against Manhattan still on the schedule. A remaining contest against Siena will determine the final seeding. Win, and it’s simple:

  1. Marist (6-0)
  2. Jacksonville (5-1)
  3. Siena (4-2)

…unless Canisius beats both Jacksonville and Detroit, in which case the Golden Griffins take over the No. 3 seed based on the head-to-head with JU.

If Marist loses to Siena and Jacksonville takes care of business against Canisius, there’s a three-way tie at the top with a round of 5-1 records. There’s also a triangle of doom, with no full head-to-head tiebreaker (Marist over Jacksonville over Siena over Marist). Their undefeated records against the rest of the conference mean we have to invoke tiebreaker C:

The next step is to compare the number of goals allowed among  the tied teams. The tied teams shall be seeded in order of goals allowed. The team with the fewest goals allowed is seeded highest.

Pending the Marist/Siena game, Jacksonville has allowed 24 goals to the other two teams, while Marist and Siena both conceded 11 against the Dolphins. A Siena win in which the Saints score fewer than 13 goals means it’s Siena-Marist-Jacksonville. If they score more than that (and Marist does not), it’s Siena-Jacksonville-Marist. If both teams score more than 13 goals, it’s Jacksonville-Siena-Marist.

So basically all those words point out that if Marist loses to Siena, it gets really complicated at the top. If either Marist or Siena falls to the dregs of the conference… well, that’s just so unlikely that I won’t bother mapping out all the scenarios.

Is there a way for Detroit to play as anything other than the 4-seed? Short answer, no. The Titans’ best possible record is 3-3, and the worst possible record among those already in (which requires a Siena loss to VMI, just as a reminder here) is also 3-3. The Detroit win would result in a 3-way tie for third place, but since Siena beat Jacksonville, they win the three-way tiebreaker, earning the third seed. Detroit would still be fourth. For the record, Canisius winning their final two games would give them the 3-seed over Siena in the event of a Siena loss to VMI (I can’t make it clear enough how much that isn’t happening) and to Marist.

The Big Picture

Detroit has a “win-and-you’re-in” game against Canisius next Saturday. They will be the four-seed no matter what. If Marist beats Siena, the Red Foxes are Detroit’s round one opponents. If Marist fails to beat Siena, it’s either Jacksonville or Siena for the Titans in round one.

What’s preferred? Detroit didn’t beat any of the three top seeds, but actually managed to keep all three contests close on the road. The tournament is held at Canisius, so by virtue of knocking the Griffins out of the tournament, there are no road games here (as long as you do what it takes to make it).

The Tempo-Free Lax numbers say that Marist is by far the best team in the conference, and although the dominoes that need to fall for them to lose the one-seed will knock them down some, I think it’s better not to play the Red Foxes to start out. Thus, you’re cheering for a Marist loss to Siena, which means playing either the Saints or Dolphins. Since Jacksonville seems the weakest (by far) of that trio, cheer for a high-scoring Siena win over Marist and a Jacksonville win over Canisius.

I’ll re-calibrate the bracketology after this weekend, at which point two of the most impactful results will be known.

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Michigan-UDM Canceled

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Tim

In an awful turn of events, the Michigan-Detroit game that was suspended due to weather last night has been canceled.

The coaches couldn’t agree on playing indoors at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse (where Michigan and Penn State played on a legal-width field to open the year – though the field width was apparently the issue with the Detroit coaches), and with more storms expected this afternoon, couldn’t find a better time to reschedule.

Both teams next take the field Saturday. Detroit plays first-year program Marquette in Milwaukee, and Michigan hosts St. Joseph’s in Michigan Stadium.

Posted in division 1 | Tagged , | 31 Comments

Scores and Schedule: April 18, 2013

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Tim

Epic letdown with the biggest D-1 game in the state canceled, but life goes on…

Yesterday’s Results

Division-1 Men

Detroit @ Michigan – Suspended in the second quarter (4-3 UDM), canceled.

Division-1 Women

Detroit 9, St. Bonaventure 15

MCLA-2

Michigan-Dearborn @ Lawrence Tech – Delayed

High School Boys

Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 17, Romulus 2
Temperance Bedford @ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Ann Arbor Huron @ Ann Arbor Skyline
Walled Lake Western @ Canton
Rochester @ Farmington North-Harrison
L’Anse Creuse @ Grosse Pointe South
Monroe St. Mary-Catholic Central @ Grosse Ile
Hartland @ Howell
Chelsea @ Ypsilanti Lincoln
Grand Ledge @ Lapeer West-East
Novi @ Northville
South Lyon @ Salem
Ypsilanti @ Swartz Creek
Dexter @ Tecumseh
Dearborn Divine Child @ Grosse Pointe University Liggett
Auburn Hills Avondale @ West Bloomfield
Grand Blanc @ Walled Lake Central
Huron Valley-Lakeland @ Walled Lake Northern
Brighton @ Waterford

High School Girls

Rockford 18, Ann Arbor Skyline 6
Grand Rapids Catholic Central @ Forest Hills United
Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills @ Ann Arbor Huron
Rochester @ Bloomfield Hills Lahser
Hartland @ Brighton
Novi @ Canton
Caledonia @ East Grand Rapids
Livonia Ladywood @ Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep @ Warren Regina
Grand Rapids Christian @ Hudsonville
Grand Blanc @ White Lake Lakeland
Troy Athens @ Lake Orion
Grand Haven @ Lowell
Portage Northern @ Mattawan United
Bloomfield Hills Marian @ Farmington Hills Mercy
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek @ Farmington Hills Harrison
Oxford @ Farmington Hills Harrison
Holland West Ottawa @ Northview
Northville @ Plymouth
Cranbrook-Kingswood @ Sacred Heart Academy
Salem @ South Lyon

Today’s Schedule

Division-3 Women

Calvin @ Alma

High School Boys

LaxPower hasn’t been updated yet, but don’t be surprised if many of yesterday’s games are made up, as well.

Flint Powers @ Bay City Western
Troy Athens @ Birmingham Seaholm
Clarkston @ Bloomfield Hills
Ann Arbor Greenhills @ Belleville
Cranbrook @ Detroit Country Day
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s @ UD-Jesuit
Forest Hills Eastern @ East Grand Rapids
Grand Haven @ Forest Hills Central
Northview @ Grand Rapids Christian
Caledonia @ Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Zeeland @ Grandville
Lowell @ Holland Christian
DeWitt @ Holt
Midland @ Saginaw Heritage
South Christian @ Hudsonville
Rockford @ Holland West Ottawa
Battle Creek Harper Creek @ Kalamazoo United
Battle Creek Lakeview @ Mattawan
East Lansing @ Okemos
Royal Oak @ Oxford
Battle Creek Pennfield @ Portage Central
Rochester Adams @ Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
L’Anse Creuse North @ Romeo
Comstock Park @ Muskegon Reeths-Puffer
Farmington @ Troy
L’Anse Creuse @ Utica Eisenhower
Anchor Bay @ Utica Stevenson
Portage Northern @ Vicksburg
Warren Mott-Sterling Heights @ Warren Cousino
Lansing Waverly @ Haslett-Williamston

High School Girls

Midland Dow @ Flushing
Detroit Country Day @ Grosse Pointe North
Ann Arbor Huron @ Grosse Pointe South
Grandville @ Spring Lake
Plymouth @ Swartz Creek
Waterford United @ Walled Lake United
Williamston-Haslett @ Lansing Waverly
Rochester Adams @ West Bloomfield

Corrections, omissions, etc. always appreciated in the comments.

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