MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

NPU 62, NCC 56

http://www.northpark.edu/athletics/mBasketball/Stats/2008stats/1-16mbb.htm

Jason Gordon: 17 pts, 9 rebs, 4 asts
Nick Williams: 12 pts, 6 rebs
Jay Alexander: 7 rebs

.458 FG (22-48), .294 3FG (5-17), .684 FT (13-19)

Matt Rogers: 22 pts, 7 rebs
Chris Drennan: 13 pts
Mitch Raridon: 12 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts

.396 FG (21-53), .231 3FG (3-13), .846 FT (11-13)

Rebounds were even at 27 apiece. North Central turned the ball over only 9 times, North Park turned it over only 7 times.

It wasn't pretty, but in a year in which just about every game looks like an all-out battle no matter who's playing or where, NPU will take this win and be happy with it. The visiting Cardinals were extremely scrappy and, as they did against Wheaton on Saturday, looked to focus every possession around getting the ball inside to Rogers and Drennan and letting them create. The difference between Saturday and tonight is that the Vikings played much better defense against this game plan than did Wheaton; whereas NCC shot over 60% against Wheaton, the Cards shot less than 40% against NPU. Rogers and Drennan got their points, but they had to put up a lot of shots (Rogers went 7-17, Drennan 5-13) in order to get them -- and quite a few of their close-in shots were contested heavily and forced off-target.

NPU really went into the hole in the last seven minutes of the game. It was as if the Vikes were playing the basketball equivalent of football's prevent defense, and the problem with that was that NPU only had a twelve-point lead with over seven minutes to play. As tjcf said, had Joe Capalbo made either one of those wide-open treys (at 6:28 and 5:43), North Park goes up fifteen and the game is probably in the bag. But the blame can't be laid at Capalbo's feet; NPU as a team really went into a shell and played into North Central's hands. The saving grace for the Vikings was their defense; during that 4 1/2 minute drought, NCC shaved only six points off of that 12-point lead, and while the Cards got to within two down the stretch, the Park never relinquished the lead. Jason Gordon's four FTs in the final minute were the biggest shots that North Park has made from the charity stripe all year.

Gordon was the hero tonight. Aside from those FT shots, he was the go-to guy in the second half who led the way in pushing NPU from their early five-point deficit in the second stanza to that 12-point lead. With Nick Williams on the bench in foul trouble, Gordon clearly stepped up and took charge on offense. I've said all along that I think this is the year Jason makes the All-CCIW team, and he did a lot to make his case for it tonight. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention as well the good job that Dan Oziminski and Chris Brown did at the point. If you only turn the ball over seven times in a game as a team, you're giving yourself a great chance to win -- and taking care of the ball starts with the PGs.

Matt Rogers was, as usual, a very tough customer -- and Mitch Raridon played well tonight, too. But NCC overall doesn't really have the horses that should allow them to hang with the league's upper echelon. The reasons that the Cards have been able to hang, and the reasons why I think they'll continue to be a threat in each of their next 11 games, are Todd Raridon's excellent coaching and the good team chemistry that the Cards enjoy. There will be nights when the Cards are in a tough one like they were tonight in which they'll manage to finish the job.

Just a strong, tough defensive effort by the Vikings tonight. Shooting will come and go even for a team that can shoot well, but good defense never takes a night off. Defense like this will win a lot of games for the Vikings in January and February.

[Gregory Sager]

Man, you guys would have had apoplexy if you'd heard the NCC broadcast!  I only listened to a bit, plus a bit after the game, but they were whining that NCC gave away the game (with the assistance of the refs who stole it, but NCC should have won anyway)!  They sounded like they were probably students, so I'll cut 'em some slack for 'heat of the moment' disappointment, but I can't recall ever hearing quite that much 'homerism'.

A veteran CCIW observer who was listening to the NCC @ NPU game on the radio called me afterwards and told me that one of the WONC broadcasters was so upset that he actually swore on the air.

[Titan Q]

I posted this here on January 2 and still feel strongly about 10-4 winning it.  This is an incredibly fun year to follow the CCIW...probably not so fun for coaches!

I agree completely that Augustana, Elmhurst and Wheaton (not necessarily in that order) are clearly the 3 favorites, but I am not sold at all on any of the three as a dominant power.  Augustana will really miss Jordan Delp's outside presence...Elmhurst turns it over 21 times per game...Wheaton is basically a 3-man team offensively (Raymond, Wiele, and Panner).  I just don't see a Final Four-caliber team in this group. 

I believe that almost all 15 of the road games played by the "top 3" vs the "bottom 5" will be a battle - I don't see many blowouts and I think there will be 5-6 "upsets."  And of the 15 home games played by Augustana, Elmhurst, and Wheaton cumulatively vs CC, IWU, MU, NCC, and NPU,  I can see a couple upsets that really impact the title race.

Assuming we're right about the top 3, the race for 4th should be an exciting one.  Nothing that has happened in the non-conference so far has convinced me that there is any significant separation between Carthage, Illinois Wesleyan, Millikin, North Central, and North Park.  With the conference tournament in place now, it certainly adds some good drama in a season like this one.

I will be somewhat surprised if any team finishes with 3 losses or less.  I think we're looking at:

1. 10-4
2. 10-4
3. 9-5
4. 7-7
5. 6-8
6. 5-9
7. 5-9
8. 4-10

It seems like every Wednesday and Saturday will be filled with intriguing matchups.

[Gregory Sager]

I've been illustrating this general point with hand gestures, Bob.

I keep telling people, "In a typical season, the top and bottom of the CCIW are like this:

l
---
l
l
l
l
l
l
---
l

"... but this year, the top and bottom of the CCIW are like this:"

l
l
l
---
l
l
l
---
l
l
l

"There are no Final Four teams in the CCIW this season, but no bad teams, either. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the winner or winners of the league go 10-4, with the last-place team or teams going 4-10."

That's my take on the league thus far ... and it looks as though I'll be sticking with it for the next 5 1/2 weeks.

[Titan Q]

Quoting Coach Bosko Djurickovic on the Jan. 16 Elmhurst Victory:   "We executed what we wanted to get done and did it flawlessly.  Sometimes it works that way.  Everything looks good on paper, and 95 percent of the time, it doesn't work that way.  Elmhurst has a terrific team, and we were fortunate tonight in that we kind of out-guessed them.  We chose who we wanted to defend tonight, but that doesn't always work.  We wanted to make Brent Ruch and Ryan Burks work for their shots and let the other guys shoot.  Fortunately, the other guys didn't make enough to hurt us.  We were also able to withstand every Elmhurst run, and on the road against a great team, you have to be able to withstand some sort of adversity.  We didn't do that last week against Wheaton, otherwise we'd be sitting here 3-0 and laughing and scratching.  Maybe that's process of maturity.  We don't want to take a step back on Saturday against Augustana."

http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/mens/basketball/release.html

[Titan Q]

Playing six miles from his house in Macon, Rosenkranz had 13 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals.

"I thought Travis helped set the tone early and throughout the game he was in control," said Rose. "Winning on the road in the CCIW is tough. To do that showed a lot of growth in our team."

Wesleyan, which trailed only once at 8-6, did not push its lead into double figures until two Rosenkranz free throws with 1:07 to play.

"It was an intense game in a hostile environment," Rosenkranz said. "But we have to come out and prove ourselves again at Elmhurst (Saturday). We have to keep grinding."


http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/01/16/usports/doc478ee9be07bee041268815.txt

[markerickson]

Rogers had two fouls the entire game - one intentional at the end of the game to get Gordon to the line.  Rogers hacked, hooked, and hammered so often we could not believe he didn't foul out early into the second half.  NCC announcers can whine all they want, but the truth is that the teams' fouls were virtually even.  I know the NP side rode the refs regarding the overly aggressive Drennan and Rogers.

The potential four-pt play mentioned by Viking Blue happened right in front of me.  I do know the NP player got caught in the air, but is it college or pro ball that calls an offensive foul when the shooter intentionally jumps into the defender?  The NCC player clearly bumped the NP player before the shot to such a degree that the shot never went above the rim line and fell 10 ft short.  It was ugly.  The NCC shooter complained vociferously and should have been given a technical.

NP does well at the line in the end.  Thanks, guys!

[tjcummingsfan]

Rogers hacked, hooked, and hammered so often we could not believe he didn't foul out early into the second half. 

Don't forget the flop, what an actor! 

[Gregory Sager]

The potential four-pt play mentioned by Viking Blue happened right in front of me.  I do know the NP player got caught in the air, but is it college or pro ball that calls an offensive foul when the shooter intentionally jumps into the defender?  The NCC player clearly bumped the NP player before the shot to such a degree that the shot never went above the rim line and fell 10 ft short.  It was ugly.  The NCC shooter complained vociferously and should have been given a technical.

It was a good no-call. Reid Barringer clearly leaned into Antonio Stevens in an attempt to draw the foul and get a four-point play in a situation in which his team was down by four with only :05 left, but since neither player gained any advantage through the contact the proper call was a no-call.

NCC fans were no doubt livid with the reffing (as the WONC broadcasters certainly were), but I can tell you that there was quite a bit of screaming at the refs emanating from the NPU fans as well. Overall, it was not that well-reffed a game, but the bad calls and bad no-calls basically evened out between the two teams. I know that it sounds smug as a Vikings fan for me to say this on the night of an NPU win, but an even-handed game from an officiating standpoint, even if the quality of the officiating is poor, is all that you can ask for.

[Gregory Sager]

What astonishes me about Carthage's win over Elmhurst, aside from the relative ease with which the Red Men pulled off the road upset, was how inverted the rebounding statistics appear to be. You'd think that Elmhurst would have it all over Carthage close to the basket, but the 'jays only outrebounded the Carthaginians by a 30-25 margin. Brent Ruch and Jared Hintzsche had only five boards between them, and when you add in power forwards Mark Aloisio and Rob Strzemp, the Elmhurst big men hauled in only 14 caroms total on the night. The only guy who appeared to be crashing the boards hard was swingman Ryan Burks, who led the 'jays with ten boards -- but since Burks only went 1-6 from downtown and scored seven points, he clearly did not give Elmhurst what it expects from him the most. More importantly, six of Ruch's 18 points came off of treys. If you've induced Elmhurst into having Brent Ruch stand twenty feet from the basket and shoot treys, then you've won the battle even if he makes the shot.

[sac]

I'm trying to figure out if having 3 CCIW teams (Elmhurst, Carthage and Wheaton) on the schedule helps or hurts..........hmmmmmmmmm

[sac]

If Wheaton and Elmhurst win this weekend, your standings will look like this.

3-1
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
1-3

or you could get this with other results

3-1
3-1
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
1-3
1-3

or this

3-1
3-1
3-1
2-2
2-2
1-3
1-3
1-3

y'all have fun 

[Gregory Sager]

I'm trying to figure out if having 3 CCIW teams (Elmhurst, Carthage and Wheaton) on the schedule helps or hurts..........hmmmmmmmmm

Look at it this way: If the Bluejays, Red Men, and Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance weren't on the Hope sked, GVW probably would've substituted a few more games with Grace Bible and Purdue-North Central instead.

If Wheaton and Elmhurst win this weekend, your standings will look like this.

3-1
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
1-3

or you could get this with other results

3-1
3-1
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
1-3
1-3

or this

3-1
3-1
3-1
2-2
2-2
1-3
1-3
1-3

y'all have fun 

Parity has its virtues ... one of which is the fact that every game holds the distinct promise of being a nail-biter, and another of which is the legitimate hope that just about every team in the league can harbor for a conference tournament berth, if not an actual championship (or share thereof).

Parity will hurt us on Selection Sunday ... but it'll make for what'll probably be one of the most exciting overall seasons in CCIW history as well. I'll take that anyday.

[April]

Yeah, I know I did a fair amount of repeating, but I was trying to say that IWU:Wheaton 1994-present is not the same as CMS:Occidental 2003-08.

Ok, so CMS doesn't have 4 Final Four banners hanging in the gym from recent years, but you get the point. 

I'm just glad I was on the winning side of that game in 2004, right April?.......

I am sorry, but I do not recall that game. Whatever do you mean? It's not like that was one of my most painful sports memories of all time or anything...


Also, Wheaton at the Shirk Center since then:

2005 - Wheaton College 86, Illinois Wesleyan 74
2006 - Illinois Wesleyan 87, Wheaton 81
2007 - Wheaton 93, Illinois Wesleyan 84

I am not sure how the analogy is relevant to CMS and Oxy when its been a 50-50 split over the last four years? In the case of IWU the weaker home team has generally lost, whereas Oxy has been much more proportionaltely strong from CMS (except in 2005-2006), and they have held home court.

With that said, I really dont get the Oxy-CMS result. The fact is that the CMS gym is just not that intimidating to play in from a fan support or even a toughness of the team perspective.

Although Oxy was heavily dependant on Betty, the fact that they got beat up that brutally by MC who then got brutally beat up in VA Beach last spring make it look BAD that Oxy did as badly as they did (even though they were without Betty). While we get some great players individually, and Oxy (and sometimes others) can be very fun to watch, its just not the same as the CCIW, and sometimes the basketball games I go to just make me homesick for my beloved King Arena.

I am honestly not sure whether Oxy IS a top 25 team, or at least as high as they were being placed. IWU has some talented young players, and I totally loved Coach Rose to death, but is just not your run of the mill strong CCIW team that you can really use to make any comparisons with cross regionally, and they are painfully lacking in the height department.

The best win the SCIAC has is obviously the Stevens Point one, but even then I am just not very convinced that Point is that amazing, and certainly not #3 or whatever they were, unless they have dramatically improved since the Sweet Sixteen games I saw last year where WashU essentially thrashed them.

Incidentally, before the season started I wanted to make a bold prediction that NP would finish in the top two-three and compete for the CCIW championship. While I may not go on that big of a limb, its nice that they are doing so well.... especially my Fantasy League golden boy from last year, Mr. Nick Williams. 8)




Now someone please remind me to withhold cookies from devildog29 the next time I see him....   

[AndOne]

OK---lots of territory to cover following tonight's NPU-NCC game. I must admit I'm feeling a little overwhelmed as perhaps the sole NCC presence on the board in the face of a large contingent of NPU fans buoyed, like a pack of carnivores, by the thrill of a fresh kill. However, the show must go on so here goes. I'll cover some specific points raised separately rather than try to address them all together.

1. There has been some indignation voiced aver the objectivity of the broadcast team calling the game over WONC. Let me just say that I believe the NCC station uses a variety of broadcasters---all students. The team on the air tonight may not be the ones you get next time. As with basketball players, some are better than others. Accordingly, don't condemn WONC, which is actually one of the most highly decorated college radio stations in the country. If you didn't like tonight's team, maybe the broadcasters will be more to your liking next time around. Again, these are relatively inexperienced kids who certainly are, and should probably be expected to be, homers.

2. Officiating---probably the worst group of officials I've see so far this year. The red-haired guy was absolutely horrendous. I'll address/respond to specific instances later. Lets say they missed several calls both ways.