No stopping Mount Union?

It certainly doesn’t seem so. The Purple Raiders steamrolled Bethel (Minn.) 62-14 to advance to the Stagg Bowl, as they continue their march toward a third straight title.

After giving up 18 points to Ithaca in the opening round (a 42-18 victory), Mount Union only gave up 31 points in their next three games, outscoring opponents 173-31 in that span. Senior cornerback Scott Lieber, one of Ithaca’s most seasoned secondary members, told me that Ithaca “gave them the best game of the season.” And he’s absolutely correct. The 18 points given up by the Purple Raiders was the highest total of the season, while their 42 points scored was their third lowest output of the year.

But for the third consecutive season Mount Union advances to the National Championship game to face Wisconsin-Whitewater, 16-7 winners over Mary Hardin-Baylor in the semifinals. The game begins at 4 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on ESPN.  The guess here is that Mount Union makes it three in a row, but stranger things have happened.

Grinnell guard crushes assist record

I always love when records get broken. So when I read that Grinnell College’s David Arseneault eclipsed the single-game assist mark on Saturday, I was definitely thrilled. Arseneault finished the game (a 151-112 win over North Central University) with 34 assists, easily passing the old record of 26 (set in 1989 by Kean University’s Robert James).

Basketball is the ultimate team sport, but it has been argued that the game has become more of a showcase for individual talent. This is more true in the NBA than in college, but the argument is valid on all levels of basketball. So to read the following about Grinnell’s offensive philosophy is refreshing, to say the very least:

“Grinnell, in central Iowa, is known for a unique style of play that includes rotating five players in and out as often as possible, pressing the entire game and shooting more than 50 3-pointers.”

Congratulations to Arseneault on breaking the record and a tip of the hat to Grinell coach David Arseneault (young David’s father) for keeping basketball fun and team-oriented.