MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Late nite]

Had the opportunity to see NCC for the first time tonight---AU was a team with no depth and no inside presence---Welton is a great player, but is more of a slasher than a post-up player---You could tell the loss of their point guard really affected their rotation---Also, a team that is not really interested in the defensive

HOWEVER---Give credit where credit is due---If NCC is picked to finish 6th in the CCIW, we're in for a hell of a season!!---There is no way that this team will finish that low---They have an excellent chemistry---A bunch of athletic players with just enough post presence in Rogers, Williams and Drennan to make their perimeter players very effective---The more I watch Raridon's teams, the more I see what a great coach he is---The only perceived weakness that I saw tonight was the play of the point guards when they were pressured at the end of the game---Maybe they just had some bad moments---I haven't seen them play enough to make an educated judgement---But. strength and size might be a problem protecting the ball---AU didn't really pressure until desperation time---Overall, a really impressive team win

[Gregory Sager]

NPU really shot poorly this evening. The box score from tonight's game appears to be off in a few places, but the 6-23 effort from behind the arc and the 11-21 mark from the FT line sound about right. If they had had even an average night from the field and at the line, the Vikings would've won this game by upwards of forty points.

Eureka is just plain bad. They're what I call "slow and dangerous"; the Red Devils got beat so often by North Park's much quicker players that they tended to resort to a lot of grabbing, sliding soccer-style leg tackles, and body blows. I think that the Eureka football team would improve significantly if they handed out helmets and pads to the Red Devils hoopsters next summer. I'm just happy that nobody from NPU got hurt. Jorge Gonzalez did have to come out of the game in the second half and get looked at by the training staff after a Red Devil cannonballed into the side of his leg, but it turned out that he was simply cramping up.

At least the Vikings managed to run away and hide in this one. They couldn't shake the Red Devils on Saturday night and ended up only winning by 13, which was as mortifying as the loss to MSOE the night before. Tonight the Vikings got the lead up as high as 31, and Paul Brenegan had a chance to get his third team into the game for a good four or five minutes of work at the end.

As poorly as the Vikings shot, they at least did a good job of running the offense. The perimeter passing was crisp, and they got plenty of open looks (the vast majority of which they couldn't knock down). Bruce Durham, Antonio Stevens, and Jason Gordon got good penetration, and made smart interior passes after breaking down the Eureka D when they didn't go to the hole. Durham and Gordon were credited with five assists apiece. The main problem for the Vikings offense, aside from their inability to hit anything from beyond the arc or at the foul line, was the fact that Eureka was able to knock the ball loose several times when the Vikings got it inside. NPU is going to have to get stronger with the ball, or the Vikings will get knocked around silly in CCIW play.

Gordon had a great game, which was gratifying to see. He's a big key to whatever success NPU will muster this season. Durham was impressive as well. Jon Chimino came off of the bench and played a very solid game in the low post, and Jorge Gonzalez definitely had more than the eight rebounds that he was given in the box score. Stevens, the team's defensive stopper, had a great night at the defensive end of the floor.

It was an easy win over an undistinguished opponent ... nothing to get excited about. But it's a step in the right direction after a poor opening weekend.

I also was at the North Park game tonight, and actually asked the same exact question, more of less getting the same response.  I thought the guy was kidding, because there was a smile on his face.

Seems like a bit of a stretch to me

It's a whole lot of hooey, is what it is. Rob Berki and I sat next to NPU's senior vice-president, and he got a good laugh out of the D2 rumor when I told it to him.

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats to Steve Djurickovic on being named CCIW player of the week. Quite the start to what promises to be a great career at Carthage.

To the best of my knowledge, no CCIW freshman has ever been named POW in his first-ever week of college ball. Also, according to the CCIW website, the only other freshman besides Steve Djurickovic who has won a POW award since 2001 was Kent Raymond. So congrats to Djurickovic for this singular achievement.

Wheaton/Loras boxscore...

http://depts.loras.edu/sports/mens/basketball/g02-whe.html

Per the running play-by-play, Wheaton controlled the entire game and was up big in the 2nd half - it wasn't all that close.

I don't know about that; Loras did manage to cut the lead to four a couple of times in the game's waning minutes. But it's significant that Wheaton did lead the game wire-to-wire in the Duhawks' gym.

If Wiele has turned the corner (which it appears he has), I'm starting to think Wheaton is right up there w/ Augie and Elmhurst in terms of a favorite. 

He really has, Bob. As I said the other day, he's not only added a lot of upper-body muscle, he's also manifesting a much more aggressive attitude in the paint.

[robberki]

Yeah Greg, not sure where that D2 rumor came from, among the thousands of other reasons why we wouldn't be moving to D2, the biggest is the money consideration. Where are they going to get the money for athletic scholarships if they are paying my HUGE salary?  

Dennis - I just flashed my million watt smile and they let me right in, no ticket needed. Next time, just walk in with me!

[Gregory Sager]

I don't think anyone ever posted a score from Millikin's win over Blackburn last night...

http://www.millikin.edu/athletics/mbasketball/m-mil01_088.htm

For some reason returning starting Joscar Demby did not play (injury?).

Wow, lots of unknown names for Jimmy Millikin on opening night. Nobody hit double figures, the team shot only 38% from thei field and 29% from downtown ... and they still won by 14 in the other team's gym. Nice work if you can get it.

Yeah Greg, not sure where that D2 rumor came from, among the thousands of other reasons why we wouldn't be moving to D2, the biggest is the money consideration. Where are they going to get the money for athletic scholarships if they are paying my HUGE salary?  

Rob, the guy at the door was also spreading the rumor that the NPU administration is going to let you go and replace you with an old boot or plankton.

[robberki]

Hard to get a lot from the game tonight in the crackerbox. One thing I noticed is we have 2 legit teams on this squad, both the first and the second team are full of solid to very good players that could be rolled out and would be able to compete with anyone on the schedule. Given the talent gap the last 5-6 seasons, this is a nice development and kudos to Paul and Steve for doing such a good job recruiting.
It's amazing how nice an offense looks when shots are falling, it covers up a lot, but even the resident sharp shooter Joe Capalbo was having a tough night at the line.
The Vikings looked to be much more athletic than previous years as well, Durham blew by his man multiple times and has a nifty spin move in his arsenal. Gordon's baseline dunk in the second half was a nice exclamation point, even more impressive considering it came in the half-court offense and not on a fast break.
It seems like NPU might lack some defensive intensity, or at least focus. In the scrimmage a week or two ago they were continually beaten back on defense by the fast break, tonight a lot of players lost track of their man near the basket, this can't happen when CCIW time rolls around as those teams will really make you pay.
Jorge is going to be a nice player in this league, he only has a couple years of organized bball experience but he already knows how to use his athleticism very well.

[robberki]

Rob, the guy at the door was also spreading the rumor that the NPU administration is going to let you go and replace you with an old boot or plankton.

impossible, Nebraska is using both to coach the football team and NPU can't afford the buyout.

[Gregory Sager]

Had the opportunity to see NCC for the first time tonight---AU was a team with no depth and no inside presence---Welton is a great player, but is more of a slasher than a post-up player---You could tell the loss of their point guard really affected their rotation---Also, a team that is not really interested in the defensive

The Spartans are also without Mike Leonard, their primary post player, for the rest of the semester. His loss is as big in its own way as was the loss of PG Dusty Magee, both because Aurora isn't loaded with big men and because it's hard to replace a senior center who averaged 11.7 and 7.0 last year. His replacement, freshman Skyler Ormsbee, appeared to be completely overmatched against NCC (zero points, three rebounds, four fouls). Leonard's absence forces Larry Welton to take on additional duties down low that really aren't his strong point. As you said, Late, offensively Welton's more of a slashing wing than he is a post-up player.

That's still a nice road win for NCC, though, shorthanded Spartans or not. The thing that interests me is that Todd Raridon played essentially a seven-man rotation tonight: Dean Prince and Mitch Raridon in the backcourt, and Chris Drennan, Matt Rogers, and Jeremy Williams up front, with only Reid Barringer and Dominique King seeing any appreciable time off of the bench. He apparently treated tonight's tussle with NCC's west suburban neighbors as though the calendar was into January and the opponent was a CCIW rival.

HOWEVER---Give credit where credit is due---If NCC is picked to finish 6th in the CCIW, we're in for a hell of a season!!---There is no way that this team will finish that low---They have an excellent chemistry---A bunch of athletic players with just enough post presence in Rogers, Williams and Drennan to make their perimeter players very effective---The more I watch Raridon's teams, the more I see what a great coach he is---The only perceived weakness that I saw tonight was the play of the point guards when they were pressured at the end of the game---Maybe they just had some bad moments---I haven't seen them play enough to make an educated judgement---But. strength and size might be a problem protecting the ball---AU didn't really pressure until desperation time---Overall, a really impressive team win

I've seen the Cardinals in one scrimmage and one regular-season game thus far, and to me they look like a team that's more than the sum of its parts. And that's a tribute to Todd Raridon.

[cardinalpride]

GS, I noticed from the boxscore that g/f David Twyman and pg/sg Dan schacht didn't play for the Cards after receiving double digit minutes in the first two games.  I know both were coming off foot injuries.  I wonder if they reinjured themselves in the last game or practice.  Andone, where are you?

[AndOne]

GS, I noticed from the boxscore that g/f David Twyman and pg/sg Dan schacht didn't play for the Cards after receiving double digit minutes in the first two games.  I know both were coming off foot injuries.  I wonder if they reinjured themselves in the last game or practice.  Andone, where are you?

Mr. Twyman reinjured his foot in the battle against Lindenwood last Sat evening. Same foot, different spot. This one is evidently not as serious as the initial injury and I don't believe he will be out more than a few games. As far as I know, Mr. Schacht has not sustained any further injury and his lack of PT this evening was a coaches decision--which I will attempt to offer some insight into in my following analysis. 

[Gregory Sager]

Did anyone read Tuesday's Chicago Tribune sports section? The preview for tonight's matchup between Benedictine and Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena (which the Wildcats ended up winning by the predictable score of 95-63) referred to Benedictine not once but twice as "Illinois Benedictine". The school changed its name from Illinois Benedictine College to Benedictine University eleven years ago.

And it's not as though this is some out-of-town school; Benedictine is located in the Chicago suburb of Lisle.

Aside from being an ugly error by the newspaper that purports to be Chicagoland's paper of record, the Trib's gaffe is a telling illustration of just how hard it is for a D3 school to rise above media anonymity in this town.

[AndOne]

The North Central Cardinals invaded the 13th ranked Aurora Spartans gym this evening, and came away with a very well earned 78-70 victory.

Looking beyond the box score reveals that this was really a game of two very different halves. In all fairness, as mentioned previously by several posters, Aurora was definitely hurt by the absence of its PG, Dusty Magee--the team QB and also a deadly long range shooter. None the less, the Cards win, a TEAM effort, was impressive as you don't get ranked 13th in the country even if you do have a 1st team All-American, if thats all you have.

Going into the contest, a major part of the Cardinals game plan followed the premises that 1) Welton would probably get his points, or at least his shots, no matter what, and 2) that because the Spartans love the three and are so often on the mark with their bombs, that they wanted to limit their 3 point attempts and force them to shoot a higher percentage of two point attempts than is their usual mode of operation.     

To this end, of the 27 shots the Spartans offered up in the 1st half 8 were from beyond the arc. However, 7 of the 8 or 87.5% found their mark. Their inside shots were more closely contested, and only 7 of 19 were successful. Overall, AU shot 52%. The Cardinals hit 4/10 3 pointers and overall shot 15 of 31 for 48.4% The result was an Aurora lead of 41-36 at the half.

I sense the theme of coach Raridon's halftime speech was defense, especially perimeter defense, and after the break the Cards responded by limiting the Spartans to 37.9 % shooting overall, including only 1 of 8 (12.5%) on threes. For the game, AU hit 50% of their threes compared to only 44.6% of their two attempts. In addition to a better overall defensive effort in the 2nd half, the Cardinals showed both better spacing and offensive flow, and were very much more aggressive in attacking the basket and hitting the boards. Whereas they only went to the line 3 times in the 1st half, they earned 18 charity tosses, hitting 14, in the 2nd stanza. They out rebounded the Spartans 35-31.   

As has been touched on by other posters, the Cardinal win was indeed a collective team effort. Matt Rogers, who was prone to force the issue a few too many times in the 1st half, but let the game come to him and picked his spots after the break, finished with 19, including 7/10 from the field. He was closely followed by Chris Drennan with 18 on 8/13 shooting. Mitch Raridon was next with 13, and while he hit only 4/13 attempts, the 4 he sank all seemed to come at important junctures of the game. Dominique King threw in 10, and Jeremy Williams, battling hard inside all night added 8. Reid Barringer cashed in 7 times including hitting 2 pressure free throws late to basically seal the deal. Starwood led AU with 23 and Lambert was next with 20. All-Americam Larry Welton finished with 18 on 7/17 shooting. I must say, he didn't play like an All-American. One of his baskets was on a lob that he dunked after which he ran down the court thumping his chest. One of his misses  was a blown dunk on a breakaway when he tried to get a bit too "stylish."

An important point to be made about North Central as noted by Late, among others, above is that the Cardinals are really developing a nice team chemistry among themselves. They seem to realize they lack the individual stars of recent years past that could alone carry the team for a time, and that they need to rely on each other and work together as a more cohesive TEAM. As I said last week, if you choose to take on one of the Cards, you better be prepared to battle the entire crew as they do have each others backs. If they can maintain the chemistry they have built and play with the intensity they have displayed, they are going to turn some heads and surprise a lot of people this season. I believe their being ticketed for 6th in the CCIW was a blessing.

Lastly, while this evenings victory was truly a collective effort by all involved, my pick for the Card's most outstanding player would be point guard Dean Prince. He tallied only 3 points, but played 36 minutes, directed and kept the offense moving, collected 3 rebounds, and handed out 7 assists. His only 2 TOs were on long pass attempts on breakouts where he didn't put quite enough air under the ball, but rather threw a low trajectory pass attempt. As any student of basketball knows, the passing aspect of the game is based on proper passing angles. While I'd like to be able to take credit for this tidbit of information, it was Coach Bruce Buhrandt who reminded us in a post game discussion that a long straight pass is the toughest one to complete. Accordingly, Dean's transgressions were minor in comparison to his contribution tonight.   

[mr_b]

Did anyone read Tuesday's Chicago Tribune sports section? The preview for tonight's matchup between Benedictine and Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena (which the Wildcats ended up winning by the predictable score of 95-63) referred to Benedictine not once but twice as "Illinois Benedictine". The school changed its name from Illinois Benedictine College to Benedictine University eleven years ago.

And it's not as though this is some out-of-town school; Benedictine is located in the Chicago suburb of Lisle.

Aside from being an ugly error by the newspaper that purports to be Chicagoland's paper of record, the Trib's gaffe is a telling illustration of just how hard it is for a D3 school to rise above media anonymity in this town.

What??!!  You mean to tell me they are no longer St. Procopius?

[mr_b]

Well I don't know if a crowd of 500 is going to help a lowly D3 team move up to D2, but it's an interesting idea.  Certainly worth talking about with my North Park administrative fiends on Saturday.

If they make the move to DII, then they'd have to make available those temporary bleachers on the stage at the east end of the court.

[mr_b]

I asked the ticket-taker and he said in all seriousness "that if North Park could show that it had good attendance at its home basketball games, then perhaps it could move to Division Two."

Imagine going DII -- North Park would get to take part in such regional rivalries as UW-Parkside, Missouri-Rolla, Southern Indiana, Kentucky Wesleyan, and Bellarmine, not to mention in-state competition against Lewis and Quincy.

I can't imagine what the travel budget (let alone the interminable bus rides) must be like in the Great Lakes Valley Conference!

I'll stick with DIII, thank you very much.