MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

A big win for the Titans...kind of gut check time for IWU.

Sounded like a team effort for the Titans vs the superstar Djurickovic.

[Naperick]

Holding Ogunleye to 6 is amazing!  I think he had 25 at Elmhurst last Saturday,

[Naperick]

Congrats to IWU and NCC on their wins tonight!

[Titan Q]

For IWU...

* Sean Johnson 16 pts, 5 reb, 3 assists
* Doug Sexauer 16 pts, 10 reb
* Travis Rosenkranz 10, 6 assists
* Jordan Zimmer 9 pts (3-5 3-pt)
* Sean Dwyer 8 pts, 4 assists

Two big FT sequences for IWU:

- At the :48 mark, up 2, Edmond O'Callaghan made 2

- With :16 left, up 1, Sean Dwyer made 2

[Gregory Sager]

Steve D. must be kicking himself right now. He's an 86% FT shooter, but he missed two in a row -- one at 3:05 with the score tied, and one at 1:53 while his team was down by two -- sandwiched around a turnover.

Carthage apparently expended a lot of fouls trying to contain Sexauer on the inside. Both Tolo and Williams fouled out.

I'd like to know who Todd Raridon put on Tunde Ogunleye tonight to hold the MU superstar to only six points. NCC never pulled away in that game, but they were never seriously threatened over the last dozen minutes, either.

[kenoshamark]

Box Score from tonight:

http://www.carthage.edu/athleticspages/mens/basketball/iwu1.htm#GAME.BOX

[kenoshamark]

Entertaining game tonight in the beautiful new Tarble Arena...

This was a game of execution at the end and IWU prevailed hitting the big free throws.  As Greg mentions, Steve is a very reliable free throw shooter but tonight he was 7 for 11 and two of the misses at the end were on the front end of a bonus so it made it even more painful. 

Steve is one heck of a player but I sensed he was a bit tired towards the end.  You play 39 minutes and the free throws come up just a bit short.  Many of the ones he made were just hitting the front of the rim and with his soft touch, bouncing in. 

The troubling points for me were half the shots tonight were three point attempts 32 of the 65 field goals.  And they only shot 12 free throws of which Steve took 11.  Not that his amount is shocking but hard to believe only one other players took a free throw tonight.  Granted, when half your field goals are treys that is part of the issue but this team really doesn't want to penetrate (other than Steve).   There is little inside presence so you play the perimeter as tough as possible and hope Carthage gets cold from the outside. 
Unfortunately that happened to Fendley tonight who after scoring 11 points through the first 10 minutes didn't score again. 

As far as IWU, Sexauer is a stud.   Why they don't run the offense through him more was surprising.  He has great footwork in the post and a nice touch around the rim.  After the other big men in the league move on this year he is going to be one of the dominant low post players for the next two years.   He is quite a player to build a team around.   

[AndOne]

I'd like to know who Todd Raridon put on Tunde Ogunleye tonight to hold the MU superstar to only six points. NCC never pulled away in that game, but they were never seriously threatened over the last dozen minutes, either.

Your wish is my command, your lordship------>DAVID TWYMAN

[AndOne]

NCC 66
MU 55

Drennan had 19, Raridon and Rogers 11 apiece, and Barringer 10 for the Cards, who were never behind in the game. MU was led by Burton and Bright with 11 apiece, while Patrick contributed 10. Ogunleye was held to six points.

Not quite true. 
After trailing 33-28 at halftime, Millikin outscored the Cards 9-2 to open the 2nd stanza, and take a 2 point lead at 37-35. This irritation awoke the slumbering giants who subsequently reeled off an 11-0 blitz, and were never seriously threatened again, eventually finishing with that same 11 point final margin of victory.    8)

[AndOne]

NCC-Millikin Box---

http://www.northcentralcollege.edu/athletics/stats/basketball_m/08-09/MBK14.HTM

[Mr. Ypsi]

Any updates on the severity of Kent Raymond's injury?

(I'm crossing my fingers that it is NOT a high-ankle sprain; if it is I fear we will not see the 'real' 'KRay' the rest of his career - that is one NASTY and lingering injury.)

[thundermike11]

Any updates on the severity of Kent Raymond's injury?

(I'm crossing my fingers that it is NOT a high-ankle sprain; if it is I fear we will not see the 'real' 'KRay' the rest of his career - that is one NASTY and lingering injury.)

It is a high ankle sprain--so Kent will be sidelined for a while

[andrewmp]

Seems like at his Church this Sunday they should be laying hands on him for prayer.  This is also not a fun time to be on crutches, with the sub zero temps.
If rumor is true, then Wheaton has a hope to have him back in time for the end of the conference season/conference tournament.  He got the right treatment on it right away, which goes a long way to helping the healing process.
The question is, can Wheaton be in the top 4 by the end, or will they get beat up too much?
I will be holding on to the faint hope that we will see him again after 6 games.  

[thunderstruck88]

Any updates on the severity of Kent Raymond's injury?

(I'm crossing my fingers that it is NOT a high-ankle sprain; if it is I fear we will not see the 'real' 'KRay' the rest of his career - that is one NASTY and lingering injury.)

As you say, there's definitely a difference between K-Ray being healed enough to play, and K-Ray being able to play like he normally does. Kent is so quick with and without the ball, and makes cuts often. Both of these are hard to do with a nagging ankle injury. Let's hope he can find a way to recover fully and get back on the court for crunch time, and that the team can pull together without him!

Someone is going to have to step up bigtime besdies Wiele... Panner will draw a lot of attention now on the offensive end, so Pflederer and Jahns are going to have to shoulder a much bigger load now. Wheaton will no doubt miss him defensively as a nice complement to Panner. No matter which way you spin it, there isn't a lot of upside to losing an All-American besides offering more chances to see what this Wheaton team is made of, but there is still reason to be hopeful in his eventual return to form.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'm terribly sorry to hear that.  Still, some are less severe than others.  I sincerely hope we'll again see the POY Kent Raymond, but I fear he may be a lesser player even if and when he returns (though a 'lesser KR' would no doubt still be someone to fear!).