MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

And don't write off Carthage either.  IF they can recruit (or develop) some inside strength, they'll be mighty tough for the foreseeable future.

Yes, I really, really like the Titan freshmen, but unless the front-liners hit the weight room, we may miss Gant a great deal.

After tonight's games, this post is looking even better.  Carthage cut a 20-point deficit to 1 before succumbing in Rock Island, despite being out-rebounded by 31.  And, while the Titan freshmen played well, Gant had his FOURTH consecutive double-double.  Yeah, we're gonna miss that guy!

[iwumichigander]

IWU won the battle on the boards - backboard and scoreboard.  IWU had 36 rebounds to the Bluejays 30 who had just 3 offensive boards. 

IWU got 13 points off 13 Elmhurst turnovers.  The Bluejays committed 30 fouls and where lucky IWU did not hit most of those charity stripe opportunities  IWU 15-35 (42.9%) or this game would have been about over by halftime.

IWU:
Gant 20 pts 13 rebounds
Rosenkranz 13 pts
Sexauer 11
Dwyer 10
And, Dwyer did a terrific defensive job all night long.

Elmhurst:
Ruchs 25 points 10 rebounds
Burks 15 points

When you look at the key stats, you might just wonder how Elmhurst lost this game? IWU was much more aggressive on offense - 13 offensive boards; 8 - 2nd chance points; and, most of the 13 points off turnovers came in transition. Great win by the Titans

[iwumichigander]

Wow, how big has Wednesdays game at Kenosha become?  If Carthage is able to snap outta their losing streak and get a W they would have an essential 2 game lead with three to play on Elmhurst being that they would have defeated the Blue Jays twice.  If not, they would be in a world of hurt, losers of 5 in a row and not looking good for the post-season tourney.   

No offense intended. Carthage needs the AQ with 10 current overall losses. No Pool C chances - zero. Carthage needs to run the table, hope 5 other CCIW teams stumble; then, gets into & win the CCIW tournament.  I just don't see that happening. 

[iwumichigander]

Augie         76     
Carthage   69

Augie blows a 20 point half time lead, but pulls out the win. Augie had 23 turnovers, but had a huge edge on the boards. Great on free throws down the stretch, helped them pull out the win.

Carthage did a great job with their three's.

Brian Larson had a great game for Augie: 24 points, 7 rebounds

Carthage under rebounded and out fouled Augustana 19-50 and 29-17 respectively.  Of Augie's 76 points, 34 (yeah, 34) came from FTM - here is their FT line which would win most teams ball games:
F Throw % 1st Half: 10-14 71.4%   2nd Half: 24-27 88.9%   Game: 82.9%

So I got to wonder, with the whistle blowing with 46 fouls called in this game, how in the heck did SteveD manage to only get to the line 4 times? I can figure out 29 of them!

[Naperick]

IWU won the battle on the boards - backboard and scoreboard.  IWU had 36 rebounds to the Bluejays 30 who had just 3 offensive boards. 

IWU got 13 points off 13 Elmhurst turnovers.  The Bluejays committed 30 fouls and where lucky IWU did not hit most of those charity stripe opportunities  IWU 15-35 (42.9%) or this game would have been about over by halftime.

IWU:
Gant 20 pts 13 rebounds
Rosenkranz 13 pts
Sexauer 11
Dwyer 10
And, Dwyer did a terrific defensive job all night long.

Elmhurst:
Ruchs 25 points 10 rebounds
Burks 15 points

When you look at the key stats, you might just wonder how Elmhurst lost this game? IWU was much more aggressive on offense - 13 offensive boards; 8 - 2nd chance points; and, most of the 13 points off turnovers came in transition. Great win by the Titans

Congrats to the Titans!  I think Augie and IWU will make the CCIW tourney.  Gant continues to amaze me.

[Titan Q]

IWU 75
Elmhurst 71

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/02/10/usports/doc47ae7f22d9b71043744264.txt

http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/sports/mbb2008/IWMBB21.HTM

http://www.wjbc.com/wire2/podsports/00809_IWURonRose210WEB_223136.htm


The Titans did everything they could to give this game away at the free throw line, but fortunately 20 missed free throws did not come back to haunt IWU.  Besides the incredible FT struggles, the Titans played exceptionally last night on both sides of the floor. 

Defensively, once again it was Sean Dwyer on an opposing team's best perimeter player, and 5-11 Dwyer frustrated 6-4 Ryan Burks all evening.  Burks had just 2 points in the first half (2 free throws) and did not even attempt a 3-pointer.  I think anyone who has seen Burks play knows how hard it is to hold him without a 3-point attempt.  Elmhurst did a better job getting Burks looks in the second half - he ended up scoring 15 points - but he had to work extremely hard for everything he got.  Brent Ruch, who did not start again for some reason, had a great game down low for the Bluejays - 25 pts, 11-14 FG in 29 minutes.  IWU could not begin to stop Ruch one-on-one, but  it seemed like Ron Rose & Co. were willing to give Ruch his points, in return for covering all of the perimeter shooters as best they could.  After seeing the game at Elmhurst, I didn't think there was anyway the Titans could play the Bluejays man-to-man with all of their incredible size, but IWU played all man last night, and that really impressed me.

Offensively, the Titans played smart and efficiently.  The gameplan became apparent in the first few minutes of the game as IWU spread Elmhurst out and let guards Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Dwyer get past their man and to the basket.  The two point-guards who start for the Titans were able to get into the lane and either score or distribute time and time again.  Darius Gant had another huge game, finishing with 20 points, to go along with 13 rebounds.  Darius was great down low, even though giving up at least 5 inches to Ruch and Hintzsche.  Sean Johnson was the one Titan who was never able to get going last night.  Matt Ryder did a terrific job shadowing Johnson all night long and it was crystal clear Mark Scherer was not going to allow his guards to ever leave Johnson.  The attention Elmhurst paid to Johnson at the perimeter (not allowing his man to help down low) created one-on-one opportunities for Gant, Brett Chamernik, and Doug Sexauer down low, and one-on-one, all three of those guys can score.  Sexauer had another good game, scoring 11 points on 4-6 shooting.  Rosenkranz was very good as well, scoring 13, as was Duncan Lawson in the 6 minutes he was in there (2-3 FG, 5 points).

The Titans led the final 30 minutes of the game and really just out-played the Bluejays.  Ron Rose did a terrific job creating the gameplan and getting his team ready for this game, and his players executed almost perfectly (everywhere except the FT line that is!).  Elmhurst is so much bigger and stronger than IWU it's ridiculous, yet the Titans were the aggressor all night long.  IWU pulled down 13 offensive rebounds to Elmhurst's 3 and as I look at the boxscore, that may be the one thing that stands out more than anything.

That was a really big win for the Titans.  Ron Rose is doing an outstanding job with this team.

[Titan Q]

After a very inconsistent junior year, Darius Gant has really turned into a special player for the Titans.  In CCIW play, Gant is averaging 13.3 points and 11.8 rebounds, shooting 55.4% from the field.  He leads the CCIW in rebounding, pulling down one more board per game than Andy Wiele and 2 more than Brent Ruch.  Darius has 62 rebounds in IWU's last four games.

I think if the all-conference team was picked today, Gant would be a 1st Teamer.  He's been great.

[Titan Q]

The most impressive thing for me in what IWU is doing is the improvement from the non-conference until now.  The Titans just aren't the same team that played in November and December.  They play with so much confidence now, they pass the ball incredibly well, they play smart, and they really play hard on both ends of the floor.

After IWU played at Wash U way back on December 8, Mark Edwards told the Pantagraph, "I'm glad we played them in December and not February."  Tyler Nading was quoted in the Wash U student newspaper saying, "That team is going to be good and they're developing and maturing as a team right now, but I think February and March they're going to be very tough."

It's February now, and the Titans are a good basketball team.

[Titan Q]

Home win = 0 points
Home loss = -1
Road win = +1
Road loss = 0


Augustana (8-2): +2 (road wins at IWU, EC)
Illinois Wesleyan (7-3): +2 (road wins at MU, NPU, NCC...home loss to AC)
Wheaton (6-4): +2 (road wins at EC, CC, NPU...home loss to NCC)
Carthage (5-5): +0 (road wins at EC and MU, home losses to NPU, WC)
Elmhurst (5-5): +0 (home losses to CC, WC, AC...road wins at NPU, NCC, MU)
North Central (4-6): +0 (home losses to EC, IWU...road wins at WC, MU)
Millikin (2-8): -3 (home losses to IWU, CC, EC, NCC...road win at NPU)
North Park (3-7): -3 (home losses to EC, IWU, MU, WC...road win at CC)


Location of remaining games (home/road):

Augustana (8-2): 1 home/3 road
Illinois Wesleyan (7-3): 2 home/2 road
Wheaton (6-4): 3 home/1 road
Carthage (5-5): 2 home/2 road
Elmhurst (5-5): 2 home/2 road
North Central (4-6): 3 home/1 road
North Park (3-7): 1 home/3 road
Millikin (2-8): 2 home/2 road

Upcoming schedule:

Wed., February 13
Augustana @ Wheaton
Elmhurst @ Carthage
Millikin @ Illinois Wesleyan
North Park @ North Central

[aceon2]

Wow, how big has Wednesdays game at Kenosha become?  If Carthage is able to snap outta their losing streak and get a W they would have an essential 2 game lead with three to play on Elmhurst being that they would have defeated the Blue Jays twice.  If not, they would be in a world of hurt, losers of 5 in a row and not looking good for the post-season tourney.   

No offense intended. Carthage needs the AQ with 10 current overall losses. No Pool C chances - zero. Carthage needs to run the table, hope 5 other CCIW teams stumble; then, gets into & win the CCIW tournament.  I just don't see that happening. 

I did not mean for Carthage to make the BIG tourney, I was just speaking in terms of the Conference Tourney.   The game Wednesday will go a long way in deciding who is the fourth team in the Conference Tourney.  Thats all I meant.

[voxelmhurst]

The frustration continues for the ol' blue and white of Elmhurst.

Last night, I must say that several Elmhurst defenders were behaving quite 'matador' like.  Usually, teams can beat Elmhurst on the backdoor, but last night Wesleyan were coming thru the front door, the garage, windows, sump pumps, everywhere. 

The lack of a penetrating point guard is hurting Elmhurst more and more as the season wears on.  They certainly still have their old flashes of brilliance, though other times they seem completely lost. 

Another telling line from last night's game which I was following:

Darius Gant - first three games vs. Elmhurst   5.6 ppg, 6 for 23 shooting, 7 rpg, 5.3 turnovers per game

Darius Gant - last night 20 points, 13 boards, 3 turnovers

[Titan Q]

Did Alex Washington get hurt?  He did not play last night for Augie after, I believe, starting every game since Jordan Delp's injury...

http://www.augustana.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/2007-08/08mbb21.htm

Brian Larson (6-1 sophomore) started and had a huge game - 24 points, 7 rebounds (13-13 FT).

Augie outrebounded Carthage 50-19...and shot the ball 24 more times than Carthage!  (64 FGA vs 40!)  I can't remember seeing a rebounding margin of 30+ in a CCIW game - that's crazy.

Carthage has now been outrebounded 139-70 in its last 3 games (@ Augie, vs Wheaton, @ IWU) - an average rebounding disparity of 23 per game.  That is almost unbelievable.

[Titan Q]

Quoting Coach Bosko Djurickovic on the Feb. 9 Augustana (Ill.) Loss:  "The only negative about tonight was that they don't pay off for moral victories.  Our second half was how you would hope teams approach the game and play with a passion and an effort that gives teams a chance to win.  We are undersized, but we are not under hearted.  We left everything on the table, and that's all I can ask.  The effort we got from Dave Mikolaitis and Richard Williams was a real key.  All coaches look for great players, but sometimes it's the little guys who bleed for you pay off more.  Forty-one free throws to 11 for us was an incredible number, which means we weren't getting the ball to right people.  The effort was sensational, but the result was disappointing.  The question now is can we build on tonight's second-half effort to win against Elmhurst on Wednesday.  We're 5-5 now, and the math is simple—we need to win three of our last four games to get into the CCIW tournament."

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

The math actually isn't quite that simple...

Augustana 8-2 (@ Wheaton, @ Millikin, vs IWU, @ North Central)
Illinois Wesleyan 7-3 (vs Millikin, @ Wheaton, @ Augustana, vs North Park)
Wheaton 6-4 (vs Augustana, vs IWU, @ Millikin, vs Elmhurst)
Elmhurst 5-5 (@ Carthage, vs North Park, vs North Central, @ Wheaton)
Carthage 5-5 (vs Elmhurst, @ North Central, @ North Park, vs Millikin)

Obviously, Augustana, IWU, and Wheaton can finish 9-5 or better.  If Carthage loses to Elmhurst Wednesday and then wins out, while Elmhurst also wins out, the Bluejays are in at 9-5, while Carthage is on the outside looking in at 8-6 (despite winning 3 of their final 4).

There are still a lot of games to be played, but it seems like the fate of Carthage and Elmhurst rests largely on that game in Kenosha Wednesday.  A Carthage win would give the Red Men the head-to-head tie-breaker over Elmhurst (via a sweep), so Carthage would get in at 8-6 over Elmhurst if that's how it turns out.

[VABBlue]

Hello folks,

I am an out of state Millikin Alumnus. I cannot help but put the blame on our poor play the past 10 years to current athletic director Lori Kerans. Her recent hire of Marc Smith was absurd. I would agree with her decision to fire coach Tim Littrell, as that was much overdue. However, she also released Todd Creal, who happened to be a phenomenal recruiter. Todd is now the head coach at MacMurray College I believe.

There is no reason why the mens basketball team should be the laughing stock of the league day in and day out. The mens team hasn't reached an NCAA Regional since 1988. Also, Millikin hasn't had a baseball team win the CCIW baseball tournament since 1978.

I realize Kerans won a National Championship recently, however, aren't her roles as AD and coach seperate? Funds are supposed to be spread equally throughout the program for the most-part? I recently was in Decatur and viewed the facilities as I haven't seen them in a few years. I have to say, it is quite embarassing to see our athletic facilities. We simply cannot recruit kids who are considering IWU, Augustana, NCC, and North Park. Our facilities are about a C-.

I realize she is stepping down at the end of the year to just coach, and I have to say it's about time Lori. If you were in a big time sports program, you would be fired. The soccer programs are awful, the baseball program is pretty bad, and the basketball program is struggling big time. I place the blame on the AD.

There is absolutely no reason why a school in the middle of St. Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis should struggle so much. As a fellow Big Blue alumnus, I look forward to your thoughts. I cannot wait until the Big Blue are back in contention in all sports.

[Pat Coleman]

This discussion was had last summer as well. I hope we don't have to rehash all of that. She's already stepping down from the AD duties. What else do you want?