Men’s basketball team hosts 2018 MIAA Tournament

OLIVET, Mich. – The Olivet College men's basketball team will host the 2018 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24, at the Cutler Event Center in Olivet. The first semifinal on Friday night features No. 2 seed Hope College playing No. 3 seed Adrian College at 5 p.m. The top-seed Comets face No. 4 seed Trine (Ind.) University in the other semifinal at 7:45 p.m. The winners will play in the championship game Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

THE SEMIFINAL MATCHUP: Trine (12-13, 8-6 MIAA) vs. Olivet (15-10, 10-4 MIAA)
DATE/TIME: Friday, Feb. 23, at 7:45 p.m.
VENUE: Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Mich.
LIVE STATS: olivetcomets.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/boxscores/20180223_dxu0.xml
LIVE AUDIO: www.primcast.com/radio/610865
LIVE VIDEO: wingwarp-stream.herokuapp.com/school/m3bv5uvh5cqj

MIAA TOURNAMENT: The Comets and Flying Dutchmen finished the regular season as MIAA co-champions with identical 10-4 league records. Olivet earned the top seed by virtue of winning both games against Adrian during the regular season. Adrian is the No. 3 seed by virtue of sweeping Trine in the regular season.

TICKET INFORMATION: All ticket information can be found by visiting this page on our website.

SEASON SERIES: Trine and Olivet split the regular season meetings, with each team winning on its opponent's court. The Thunder beat the Comets, 79-72, on Jan. 6 at the Cutler Event Center. Olivet returned the favor and beat Trine, 70-61, Jan. 31 at the MTI Center in Angola, Indiana.

OLIVET HEAD COACH STEVE ERNST: Steve Ernst is in his second season as the Comets' head coach, compiling a 24-26 overall record.

TRINE HEAD COACH BROOKS MILLER:  Brooks Miller is in his seventh season at the helm of the Thunder. He has led Trine to a 105-77 overall record.

SCORING LEADERS: The Comets are led by the duo of senior Jalen Adams, of Saginaw, and junior Tracy Edmond, of East Lansing. Adams averages a double-double at 26.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Edmond is averaging 20.9 points per game. In addition, senior Eldridge Mason, of Southfield, has an 11.8 scoring average.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Adams has recorded 15 double-doubles this season, including 10 against MIAA opponents.

PASSING THE BALL: Edmond is averaging 7.1 assists per game, and has tallied 13 games with eight or more assists. His single-game high for assists was 11 versus Adrian College.

CLOSING IN: Adams needs only 17 points to break Olivet's single-season points scored record. He has 660 points and the record is 676 by Michael McClary during the 2010-11 season. He needs 23 field goals made and 28 field goals attempted to become the single-season leader.

RECORD-HOLDER: Edmond now holds the single-season school record with 178 assists.

MIAA SCORING CHAMP: For the eighth time in school history, the Comets have the MIAA scoring champion. Adams was this year's champ at 26.3 points per game over 14 league games.

NCAA RANKS: Adams ranks fourth in total points (660), third in field goals made (247) and attempted (495), seventh in points per game (26.4), eighth in double-doubles (15), 10th in free throws attempted (206) and 13th in free throws made (146). Edmond is third in total assists (178) and fourth in assists per game (7.1).

WINNING SEASON: With a 15-10 record, the Comets have secured only the 16th winning season in school history. The 15 wins this season matches three others seasons for the fourth-most victories in school history for a season.

MIAA FINISH: The 10 wins in MIAA play were the most in school history for a season.

MIAA TITLE: The last time Olivet won or shared a MIAA title in men's basketball was 1973.

REVISTING THE MIAA PRESEASON POLL: In the preseason coaches' poll, Olivet was picked to finish fourth. Hope was the preseason favorite, while Trine tied for fifth and Adrian was eighth.

MIAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Olivet is making an appearance in the MIAA Tournament since it was narrowed down to the top four teams, starting in 2012. The Comets' last win in the MIAA tournament came during the 2010 first round when it they defeated Albion College.