Watched the game in Naperville tonight.  Haven't seen many CCIW games the last few years, but if Augie and NCC are the best the league has to offer, I don't think that there will be any national hardware coming this way soon.  Sub-standard talent compared to the league from 2002- 2008.  Where have all the shooters/scorers gone?  

Quote from: AndOne on February 28, 2009, 06:24:30 PM
Over an extended period many of us have commented that while we personally don't care for Augie Coach Grey Giovanine's demeanor and antics, we recognize he is an excellent tactician and coach. However, in last night's CCIW tourney semifinal, I felt he neglected to capitalize on a huge advantage he was presented by the Elmhurst defensive alignment which may well have cost Augie the chance to win the game.

Let me explain---frequently during the 2nd half, I noticed Augie's 6'7" Chandlor Collins being defended by Elmhurst's guards. At the times I noticed this, Collins was usually being guarded either by 6'2" Zack Boyd or 6'2" Joe Acosta. To my amazement, when these EC players were defending him, Collins was most often hanging around the 3 point line, particularly on the right side of the basket. Why in the world didn't Giovanine instruct Collins to set up down low? All it would have taken was an indefensible lob in to Collins over the much shorter defenders for an almost automatic 2 points given Collins' huge height advantage. Instead, Collins spent much of his time camped out on the arc, as if awaiting the opportunity to launch a 3 point bomb, which surely isn't his weapon of choice.

Augie (and EC) fans---did any of you also notice this? If so, do you think it may have made a difference in the final outcome? Thanks. 

AndOne---I know this is old news but I'll respond on your observations:

   I agree---Collins spent WAY too much time on the wing this entire season, not just this ballgame---You would think that someone who is capable of 20 boards would be  utilized a little closer to the basket, especially with the mis-matches that you noted---My other question would be---How can you Offense-Defense substitute for a First Team All Conference player in the most important game of the season at the most important time in that game??---Not on my team---He could have captured some added possessions on the offensive glass instead of Ruch dominating inside against the 2 underclassmen
   Where was DeSimone?---Augie played their most effective ball while he was in the game, pushing the tempo and creating good looks for his teammates---He left the game with Augie up 4 and they immediately went back into their milk-the-shot-clock plodding offense that produced a bunch of bad and forced shots (many of them Ruch blocks) as the shot clock expired

Another disappointing finish to the season for the offensively-challenged Vikings---Missed layups, turnovers and defensive lapses are common place in almost all of their close losses---It's one thing to get beat by the 3 pointer, but it's another to get beat by 3 pt SET SHOTS!!!---3 TIMES!!!---Nobody even close to the shooters down the stretch---Giovanine needs to go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate his strategies and decisions in late season meaningful games---Too many early exits from tournaments the past 4 years after impressive regular seasons---Washington, Collins and Bertrand see their careers end from a seat on the bench during the final minute of the ballgame---Unbelievable

Quote from: AndOne on February 26, 2009, 07:23:16 PM

Quote from: Late nite on February 26, 2009, 10:15:06 AM

Quote from: AndOne on February 25, 2009, 03:05:10 PM
With regard to deserving players being left off the CCIW all-conference team, my humble opinion is that North Central's Mitch Raridon deserved strong consideration.
In fact, I compared his (conference only) stats to a couple of very good players from Augie, Wessels and Pelton, who did make the team.

Scoring---Raridon 15th, Wessels 18th, Pelton not in the top 30
Rebounding--Raridon tied for 20th, neither Wessels nor Pelton in the top 20
Assists----Raridon tied for 7th, Wessels 13th, Pelton not in the top 15
FG percentage--Raridon 12th, neither Wessels nor Pelton in the top 15
FT percentage---Wessels 2nd, Raridon 4th, Pelton not in the top 15
Steals---Raridon tied for 4th, Pelton tied for 4th, Wessels 6th 
3 point percentage--Pelton 3rd, Raridon tied for 5th, Wessels not in the top 15
3 point shots made--Raridon tied for 7th, Pelton tird for 12th, Wessels not in top 15
Off rebounds---Wessels tied for 15th, Raridon and Pelton not in the top 15
Minutes played--Raridon 3rd, neither Wessels not Pelton in the top 15

In the above 10 statistical areas, Mitch Raridon ranked highest in 7 of the 10, Wessels in 2, and Pelton in 1.

Both Brett Wessels and Matt Pelton may have well deserved all-conference recognition. However, if they did, so too did Mitch Raridon.

I believe Strzemp and Sexauer are the most questionable selections. Again this is not to say they weren't deserving, but I would suggest Raridon was at least, if not more deserving than the other 4 players mentioned above.

As Greg Sager has discussed this reinforces the fact that to the victors go the spoils. However, I think this is an instance in which statistics, and not just speculation, point to the fact that the voting was a bit misguided. Call me crazy. 

AO---I'll buy your argument that Raridon had a better year than either Pelton or Wessels (your prime examples)---I won't disagree---But, in this case, using comparative stats is not an accurate measure---As we all know, you can make stats appear to be anything you want them to be---Raridon played 36 minutes a game in a 7 man rotation---Wessels played 24 and Pelton played 25 in a 10 man rotation---The stats SHOULD be better for the player with 36 minutes ---That's a fact---I agree that he didn't get the recognition he deserved for his perfomance on the court---I don't agree that the stats should be the major tipping point

Late----

I understand your (good) point.
I do believe that in most categories Raridon's stats were proportionately better as far as having higher numbers in about the same ratio as increased minutes played. I hope I said that correctly.
Additionally, when end of year stats are looked at, the top home run hitter and top goal scorer are not "penalized" for having more at bats or more ice time than their competitors. The bottom line is the achieved number itself. Thats what really counts.

This is not to say Brett Wessels and Matt Pelton didn't deserve the recognition they got. Only that Mitch Raridon was at least as deserving, if not more so. 

I also don't think most people counted on either Chandlor Collins making the 1st team or Robert Strzemp making the team at all.

I think pgkevin was also corect when he said past recognition and reputation play a role in the selection process.

I previously reported that there was a tie for 10th in voting between Ogunleye and Pelton. Each received 4 votes both initially and on the re-vote. Thus the 6 man 2nd team.

IMO, NCC finishing 4th really hurt Raridon---Had they finished 3rd, I believe he would have been selected over one of the Augie guards

Quote from: AndOne on February 25, 2009, 03:05:10 PM
With regard to deserving players being left off the CCIW all-conference team, my humble opinion is that North Central's Mitch Raridon deserved strong consideration.
In fact, I compared his (conference only) stats to a couple of very good players from Augie, Wessels and Pelton, who did make the team.

Scoring---Raridon 15th, Wessels 18th, Pelton not in the top 30
Rebounding--Raridon tied for 20th, neither Wessels nor Pelton in the top 20
Assists----Raridon tied for 7th, Wessels 13th, Pelton not in the top 15
FG percentage--Raridon 12th, neither Wessels nor Pelton in the top 15
FT percentage---Wessels 2nd, Raridon 4th, Pelton not in the top 15
Steals---Raridon tied for 4th, Pelton tied for 4th, Wessels 6th 
3 point percentage--Pelton 3rd, Raridon tied for 5th, Wessels not in the top 15
3 point shots made--Raridon tied for 7th, Pelton tird for 12th, Wessels not in top 15
Off rebounds---Wessels tied for 15th, Raridon and Pelton not in the top 15
Minutes played--Raridon 3rd, neither Wessels not Pelton in the top 15

In the above 10 statistical areas, Mitch Raridon ranked highest in 7 of the 10, Wessels in 2, and Pelton in 1.

Both Brett Wessels and Matt Pelton may have well deserved all-conference recognition. However, if they did, so too did Mitch Raridon.

I believe Strzemp and Sexauer are the most questionable selections. Again this is not to say they weren't deserving, but I would suggest Raridon was at least, if not more deserving than the other 4 players mentioned above.

As Greg Sager has discussed this reinforces the fact that to the victors go the spoils. However, I think this is an instance in which statistics, and not just speculation, point to the fact that the voting was a bit misguided. Call me crazy. 

AO---I'll buy your argument that Raridon had a better year than either Pelton or Wessels (your prime examples)---I won't disagree---But, in this case, using comparative stats is not an accurate measure---As we all know, you can make stats appear to be anything you want them to be---Raridon played 36 minutes a game in a 7 man rotation---Wessels played 24 and Pelton played 25 in a 10 man rotation---The stats SHOULD be better for the player with 36 minutes ---That's a fact---I agree that he didn't get the recognition he deserved for his perfomance on the court---I don't agree that the stats should be the major tipping point

Quote from: AndOne on February 24, 2009, 02:49:52 PM
2008-09 CCIW ALL CONFERENCE TEAM

http://www.cciw.org/winter_bball_m/08_09_MBBallconf.htm

The First Team couldn't be more correct---All five deserving for what they have done THIS YEAR

Quote from: Titan Q on February 22, 2009, 05:12:17 PM

Quote from: Late nite on February 22, 2009, 05:10:05 PM

Quote from: Titan Q on February 22, 2009, 04:48:48 PM

Quote from: Late nite on February 22, 2009, 04:43:56 PMDon't discount the possibility that Augie will again be in the mix---Graduation will cut deeply into their rotation from this year---No doubt---But the return of two 6'7" kids who can play and the return of 2 point guards is a pretty good starting point for any team---Giovanine will find the other parts to remain competitive

Augie will always be in the mix with Coach G.  And yes, they have a lot of talented players who have been waiting their turn.  (In addition to the big guys, I like DeSimone a lot.)

The topic above was specifically about who would be picked to win it, and while I'd expect Augie to be right in the mix, I don't think the Vikings will be picked to win the 2010 race.

I agree---IWU will be picked as the favorite by the coaches and most of the posters on this site

As discussed above, I don't think so.  I think Carthage will be considered the favorite by most - again, they finished better than IWU this year and return every bit as much of their 2009 production.

IWU---More depth, more size and more experience

Quote from: Titan Q on February 22, 2009, 04:48:48 PM

Quote from: Late nite on February 22, 2009, 04:43:56 PMDon't discount the possibility that Augie will again be in the mix---Graduation will cut deeply into their rotation from this year---No doubt---But the return of two 6'7" kids who can play and the return of 2 point guards is a pretty good starting point for any team---Giovanine will find the other parts to remain competitive

Augie will always be in the mix with Coach G.  And yes, they have a lot of talented players who have been waiting their turn.  (In addition to the big guys, I like DeSimone a lot.)

The topic above was specifically about who would be picked to win it, and while I'd expect Augie to be right in the mix, I don't think the Vikings will be picked to win the 2010 race.

I agree---IWU will be picked as the favorite by the coaches and most of the posters on this site

Quote from: kenoshamark on February 22, 2009, 03:22:05 PM

Quote from: Titan Q on February 22, 2009, 09:30:02 AM
http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/mens/basketball/release.html

Quoting Coach Bosko Djurickovic on the Feb. 21 Elmhurst Game:  "The first 10 minutes of the game was the key," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic.  "We played with such a good idea of what to do, that we should have been 15 points ahead.  We missed layup after layup and opportunity after opportunity early on.  We've managed to make Elmhurst look like national-championship contenders twice this year.  They share the basketball well, and they're a very well-coached team.  They have a chance to do very well in the CCIW tournament.  Elmhurst was better, they earned it, and we have a lot of work to do.  Going 7-7 is a good year for a lot of teams but not for us.  We'll be better next year.  We have the best-returning player and a lot of other returning players.  We should be picked as one of the top teams in the league next year.  This was a good group to coach.  They were hard workers and resilient.  They gave me what they had.  The results are my fault.  The name of the game is recruiting, and that's what we have to do every day from now until August."


For a second there, I thought Bosko was going to go Lee Elia in that quote.  "The name of the game is, shoot the ball, defend the ball, and get the #$%&$'n job done."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv23pqH9iG0

Without adding a single player, I think Carthage will be the CCIW favorite next season.  The Red Men finished 7-7 - two games better than IWU and 7 games better than North Park (the two other teams that return almost everyone).  The 4 conference tournament teams from this season lose so much that I can't see any being the 2010 favorite.  If Carthage finds two good big guys, ready to step in and play next year, they will be scary.  Maybe even with just one good big guy.  

Of course, that is easier said than done - for whatever reason, Bosko has not been able to find a good big guy on the recruiting trail in recent years.  And most of the time, it takes even a good low post prospect two years to develop.  

Carthage may have the best player in Division III next year, and several other good perimeter complements.  With a couple key additions in the low post, they could be a legitimate national powerhouse next year.  My money is on Carthage going the transfer route.  

Bob, 

Good points, and I guess I would agree that "on paper" if they don't add anyone they would still be the favorites but I feel the reality would be they wouldn't win the conference without at least one major addition in the post.   I also would agree that the transfer route is probably the most obvious move to make in terms of a ready made player but hoping that they can get a freshman big man too.

I don't think you can discount your Titans quite yet as they will have all five starters back and they will only get bigger and better.   At least you have players at each position that can compete to make for a more complete team.   And you can't discount NP either as they have a fine point guard, a very talented (but inconsistent) player in Williams and a center who is everything Carthage needs.  Millikin sure made a turnaround in one year...I'm not so sure NP won't be that team next year.  If both IWU and NP learn to play better defense, they both will be in the mix for the conference tournament next year.   And, I'm not so sure Wheaton won't be a problem for teams.   They certainly lose the best player but they have some nice parts to fill with.

Plus, if Carthage didn't add anyone, everyone else will and that could mean some difference makers that might change the conference around quicker than we think.   

Don't discount the possibility that Augie will again be in the mix---Graduation will cut deeply into their rotation from this year---No doubt---But the return of two 6'7" kids who can play and the return of 2 point guards is a pretty good starting point for any team---Giovanine will find the other parts to remain competitive

Quote from: dansand on February 22, 2009, 09:40:31 AM
Let me also congratulate Wheaton on winning the CCIW championship and ending Augie's three-year reign at the top of the league. The Thunder persevered through injuries to their top two players and have had a great season. It should be quite a tournament next weekend. The second semifinal should be another war between North Central and Wheaton. I still haven't figured out how the Cardinals give the Thunder such trouble, but I'm guessing they wouldn't be Wheaton's first preference for a first round opponent. Augie and Elmhurst get a rubber match after splitting a one-point Viking win at Augie and a 2-point Bluejay win at Elmhurst. That game could have huge NCAA implications.

Augie put in a nice workman-like performance at the Shirk Center last night. Defense and rebounding were again the keys. The Vikings had a 42-33 edge on the boards, but had 12 offensive rebounds in the second half and did a good job converting them into points, including three-pointers on multiple occasions. Defensively, Augie held the Titans' top four scorers (Sexauer, Johnson, Rosenkranz and Koschnitzky) to just 7-of-29 from the field and 1-of-10 from three-point range, with that lone three-pointer being a 55-foot heave by Rosenkranz at the end of the first half.

Individually, Alex Washington was the offensive leader, finishing with a game high 18 points on a very efficient 5-of-6 from the field and 8-of-10 at the line. Matt Pelton scored all 10 of his points in the second half including 3-for-3 from downtown. Kyle Nelson had a very nice game of the bench with nine points and seven boards (including five offensive rebounds in the second half) and Jeff Becker continues to be extremely productive in limited minutes (8 points on perfect shooting and a steal in seven minutes).

Also, I'll take this chance to push Chandlor Collins' all-conference credentials. Everyone, understandably, looks at scoring and Chandlor doesn't put up big offensive numbers, but he led the league in rebounding and blocked shots by a considerable margin and anyone at the Shirk last night got a good look at the impact he has on a game (even on a night when he struggled offensively).

Welcome to my world---I've been on his bandwagon all season---As I have stated before, not the pretty choice, but certainly the most deserving Vike---Quietly consistent

Quote from: Titan Q on February 22, 2009, 08:45:51 AM

Quote from: coebball70 on February 22, 2009, 08:24:34 AMWith this said, I believe Coach Raridon did the second best job in the CCIW this year preparing and motivating a team to play well-beyond their expected potential. 

The first Todd Raridon team I saw was in the 1997 national championship game, when his Nebraska Wesleyan Plainsmen took on IWU.  After that, I saw a couple more NWU/IWU games, and then several of his NCC teams of course.  He is an outsanding coach.  The word I always seem to use to describe his teams is "efficent."  Raridon teams just seem to get so much out of what they have on both ends of the floor.

I agree 100%---An outstanding coach---Can't imagine where his team would be if he had a bench---

Quote from: coebball70 on February 22, 2009, 08:24:34 AM
I, too, attended the Cardinal/Thunder game and would like to add my observations.  Both teams deserve congratulations on an excellent game and achieving the most important accomplishment, making the CCIW tournament.  Usee said it correctly, Kent Raymond was the difference in this game...at both ends of the court.  Also, IMHO, Coach Raridon came up short this evening in several ways.  First, when it was apparent that Wheaton was going to double-team down low and aggressively take away the low-post offense of both Drennan and Rodgers, he did not adjust offensively.  His son, who obviously has been around the game his whole life did....he kept the Cardinals in the game with 17 first-half points by confidently launching outside shots.  It was agonizing watching the Cardinals, specificly Twyman and Prince, pass up many 14-18 foot open shots to constantly look inside.  We all know an inside game opens up when outside shots start to fall.  It is obvious to me that the Cardinals absolutely fear the result...a bench view of the game...if they risk shooting against the Coach's directions.  Ironically, in the second half it took a freshman, Adams, to launch the open mid-range jump shots to keep them in the game.  Even as late as the final two minutes Coach Raridon was emphasizing to go inside first.  Unfortunately, I believe Coach Raridon's decision to keep Rodgers on the bench with four fouls was far longer than necessary.  The 26-36 deficit in rebounds hurt the Cardinals.  Even though Adams was scoring effectively, he made two out of three critical turnovers at crunch time resulting in Wheaton possessions and points.  Finally, I observed marginal clock-management by the Cardinals.  Several times in the last three minutes Mitch Raridon looked to the bench for direction to foul the the Thunder to stop the clock and make them earn the win at the line.  Unfortunately, stopping the clock by fouling did not occur until about 55 seconds left.  When the clock is against you and you are down, you better manage the time left in the best fashion possible.
Now for the dichotomy.  With this said, I believe Coach Raridon did the second best job in the CCIW this year preparing and motivating a team to play well-beyond their expected potential.  After watching the early NCC vs UW-Whitewater game I, as well as many others, thought it was going to be a low CCIW finish for the Cardinals.  It is going to be a wonderful rematch of two fine teams this Friday.  My only wish is for the Cardinals to use all their offensive potential, inside and out, to make it a great game.     

Are you saying that a healthy Raymond, playing 31 minutes, as opposed to 20 minutes, made a difference in the game?  Who would have ever thought.

Quote from: dansand on February 17, 2009, 03:18:17 PM
OK...For Augustana fans, if the Vikings can beat IWU on Saturday, I believe there are 16 remaining scenarios. Here are the results of each:

|---Wednesday--|  |---Saturday---|  CCIW 
Whe@Car  Elm@NCC  Car@Elm  NCC@Whe  Tourn Host  Augie finishes...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whe      Elm      Car      NCC      Wheaton     3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--plays Wheaton in CCIW semis
Whe      Elm      Car      Whe      Wheaton     2-way tie for 2nd place--3rd seed--plays Elmhurst in CCIW semis
Whe      Elm      Elm      NCC      Elmhurst    2-way tie for 3rd--4th seed--plays Elmhurst in CCIW semis
Whe      Elm      Elm      Whe      Wheaton     3rd place--plays Elmhurst in CCIW semis
Whe      NCC      Car      NCC      NCC         3rd place--plays Wheaton in CCIW semis
Whe      NCC      Car      Whe      Wheaton     2-way tie for 2nd place--3rd seed--plays NCC in CCIW semis
Whe      NCC      Elm      NCC      NCC         2-way tie for 3rd place--4th seed--plays NCC in CCIW semis
Whe      NCC      Elm      Whe      Wheaton     3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--plays Wheaton in CCIW semis
Car      Elm      Car      NCC      Elmhurst    5-way tie for 1st place--Out of CCIW Tournament
Car      Elm      Car      Whe      Wheaton     3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--plays Wheaton in CCIW semis
Car      Elm      Elm      NCC      Elmhurst    3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--plays Elmhurst in CCIW semis
Car      Elm      Elm      Whe      Wheaton     3rd place--plays Elmhurst in CCIW semis
Car      NCC      Car      NCC      NCC         3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--play NCC in CCIW semis
Car      NCC      Car      Whe      Wheaton     3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--play Wheaton in CCIW semis
Car      NCC      Elm      NCC      NCC         3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--plays NCC in CCIW semis
Car      NCC      Elm      Whe      Wheaton     3-way tie for 2nd place--4th seed--plays Wheaton in CIW semis

I think these are correct. If not, I apologize in advance.

Please remember, this is contingent on Augie beating Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday.

I have never seen the league more competitive---It doesn't matter which order the teams finish---I have seen all the teams play more than once, and athough Wheaton seems to be the favorite at this point, any of the other 3 teams are legitimate threats and perfectly capable of winning 2 games in 2 days---I realize that the conference tourney has always been very competitive, but I don't believe that there was a time when all 4 teams had a realistic shot at winning the tourney---There were always 1 or 2 teams that were a just shade below the favorites---All the teams are pretty much upper-class dominated---Who's hungry??

Quote from: AndOne on February 15, 2009, 05:14:52 PM
Well, the little engine that could, but wasn't supposed to be able to according to most analysts, just keeps steadily chugging uphill.

Faced with the obstacles presented by an Augie lineup that featured 4 players standing 6'6" or taller compared to their tallest player at 6'5", the North Central Cardinals overcame a mostly crappy 1st half which saw them fall behind by 10 points with 6 1/2 minutes left in the half. At that point, it frankly looked like last night's game would mirror the score in the earlier game between the 2 teams which saw Augie clobber the Cards by 17. NCC finally began to dig in, and outscored Augie by a 13-7 margin in those last 6 1/2 minutes to cut the deficit to 4 at halftime. The comeback effort was led by Chris Drennan who had 10 of his 12 points, and Matt Rogers who had 10 of his 14 in the 1st half. After his double-double (24/14) against Carthage in the previous contest, Drennan had a particularly slow start, missing his 1st 5 shots of the game. 

However, the Vikings opened the 2nd stanza with a flurry, building the lead back up to 10 within the 1st 2 mins and 21 seconds of play. That seemed to set off the alarm clocks of Mitch Raridon and Reid Barringer who, over the course of the remainder of the game, scored 29 of NCC's final 37 points. Included in the scoring barrage were 2 three point bombs from Raridon who tallied all 11 of his points in the 2nd half, and 4 from Barringer who banked 18 of his 20. At the same time, the Cardinals really dug in defensively. The combination of the of the stout defense and the offensive outburst from Barringer & Raridon hit the Vikings like a blast from a double barreled shotgun basically stopping the Vikings in their tracks. From the 17:39 mark until only 3:26 remained, the Cards outscored Augie by a whopping 24-6 differential. In the final 1:10, the Cards converted on 9 of 10 free throw attempts to seal the victory.

While the Cards were out rebounded 34-26 by the much taller Vikings as you might expect, they were able to overcome this negative by registering the following results.
1. North Central committed only 9 turnovers for the entire contest while ringing up 17 assists led by Mitch Raridon's 6 (1 TO), and Dean Prince's 5 assists (0 TOs). 
2. The Rogers/Drennan 1/2 punch frustrating Justin Bertrand and taking him completely out of his game. For the majority of his time on the floor, his primary motivation seemed to be geared toward proving he was the toughest player on the floor as opposed to just playing basketball and letting the game come to him. Rather than going around or over his defender, Bertrand seemed to be determined to go through him. His frustration boiled over when, I believe it was he that was whistled for an intentional foul, one of the 5 he committed in only 16 minutes of action.
3. The Cards hitting 84.2 percent from the FT line.
4. NCC's ability to take Augie completely out of their game plan. This was evident through observing Coach Giovanine who, while usually quite demonstrative toward the refs, actually directed as much ire at his own troops last light as he did at the zebras.     

AndOne---A very accurate assessment of the ballgame---Just a few comments on your 4 points:

1.  Augie never gave itself the opportunity to use it's depth---They couldn't press and trap NCC's 6 man rotation most of the 2nd half, because as you pointed out, they were outscored 24-6 over a 14 minute span---Tough to apply pressure if the other team doesn't have to take the ball out of bounds---I'll give some of the credit to the defense, but Augie had open looks and inconsistent shooting has been a season long issue

2.  What is Bertrand's game?  He's not in the top 30 in scoring or the top 20 in rebounding in conference---Energy player, but no all-star---They were a better team last night with Nelson playing

3.  84% FT's---It felt like they shot 100%---Clutch

4.  Another frustrating night in a frustrating season

Quote from: Viking Mike on February 15, 2009, 10:02:26 AM
Titan Q-

I remember that 2005-06 Titan team.  Augie beat them twice during the regular season en route to their run but then had to face them in the first round ot the inaugural CCIW tourney in Rock Island.  They beat the Vikes and though they lost to NC in the final, they made the NCAA tourney.   I remember how lucky we were to beat them twice that year and knew that they were a quality team.   I believe they went on to the Final Four and finished 3rd in the country.  I'm hoping for a similar outcome for Augie as they have really struggled through the regular season.  They have looked unbeatable at times, esp at home.  On the road they have not been able to put teams away and then have defensive lapses such as last night's game.  I'm hoping the Vikes can put it all together before it's too late.

Another scenario I came up with involves Wheaton beating Carthage and losing to North Central at home.
Elmhurst would lose to NC AND Carthage at home.  Augie beats IWU.

1)North Central
2)Wheaton
3)Augie
4)Elmhurst wins tiebreaker against Carthage (2-2 vs Wheaton/NC)

Again would not want to face the Thunder in the first round.  I think this is less likely. Wheaton is the best team in the conference and I see them winning it.  North Central/Elmhurst/Augie are the other top three teams in my eyes.

Agreed that there were defensive lapses in the 2nd half---But, you have to give credit to NCC for putting players on the floor who step up and make big shots when they get them---IMO, the defensive lapses aren't the only problem in close games---It's also been the inability to withstand the run of the other team by knocking down some clutch outside shots---There have been a few, but no consistency in this area