MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

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. 

I have not seen NCC play in person this season, coe, but I did watch the entire WC/NCC video stream last night.  I don't think David Twyman is much of a jump shooter - isn't he the Card that shot a 3 from in front of the NCC bench (in that corner) and missed the rim by 2 feet?  Twyman is more of a slasher, isn't he?  And on the season, Dean Prince has only take one 3-point shot.  I realize you are talking about mid-range shots, but for a guy who has played 29 minutes per game to have only taken 1 3-point FGA on the season makes me think he is not a shooter either. 

I'm sure it was not a coincidence that Wheaton left Twyman and Prince open - the Wheaton gameplan, obviously, was to try to contain Rogers and Drennan and make guys like Twyman and Prince make perimeter shots.  If you are Todd Raridon, I still think you have to find a way to get it to your two horses down low though - not sure it was in NCC's best interest to have those two shooting jumpshots.

[Titan Q]

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. 

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.

[Titan Q]

Where in the world did that Jake Carwell dunk come from, by the way??  That was tremendous.  The fact that it was in so much traffic is what made it great.

[Titan Q]

In-region records:

Wheaton 18-3 (.857)
Elmhurst 19-6 (.760)
Augustana 17-7 (.708)
North Central 14-7 (.667)

For perspective, the Pool C teams last year:

(in-region records)

Amherst (NESCAC), 23-2 (.920)
Centre (SCAC), 20-2 (.909)
Mass-Dartmouth (LEC), 25-3 (.893)
Gettysburg (CC), 20-3 (.870)
Wooster (NCAC), 16-3 (.842)
Brandeis (UAA), 19-4 (.826)
Capital (OAC), 22-5 (.815)
Buena Vista (IIAC), 17-4 (.809)
Va. Wesleyan (ODAC), 21-5 (.808)
Worcester Poly (NEWMAC), 20-5 (.800)
Rochester (UAA), 19-5 (.792)
Bowdoin (NESCAC), 21-6 (.777)
Occidental (SCIAC), 14-4 (.777)
UW-Stevens Point (WIAC), 20-6 (.769)
Wash U (UAA), 16-5 (.762)
Middlebury (NESCAC), 18-6 (.750)
Wheaton (CCIW), 15-7 (.682)

My take on NCAA tournament chances, factoring in all 5 primary criteria (not just in-region winning %)...

* Wheaton is a lock.

* Elmhurst is a lock.

* Augustana needs to win the tournament - outside Pool C chance, but not great.

* North Central needs to win the tournament - zero chance of a Pool C.

[cardinalfanrochelle]

It's interesting to see the different posts for ths NCC-Wheaton game last night, as a Cardinal fan it would be easy to say the officals were a big part of the Cardinals loss. In part they may have taken the Cardinals out of their game with cheap calls(Wheaton had a few cheap calls also) but you can't miss shots or get sloppy with the ball.As far as Cardwell knocking Rogers down with an elbow(knocked him back not down) when you elbow someone in the face after the play that's when tempers flare. Kent got a few elbow blocks on his defender, but getting back to the bigger picture the Cardinals didn't look ready to attack the basket.Mitch Raridon & Mark Adams did a nice job. Friday night will be the game the Cardinals can show who they are....No looking back

[Titan Q]

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.  

[dansand]

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).

[titan2000]

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.  

I really don't like Bosko.

[Titan Q]

I really don't like Bosko.

I recently heard that Bosko does not like you either.

[coebball70]

Q...the Carwell dunk was a 'difference-maker' play.  He did it at a time when Wheaton was losing momentum to the Cardinal's Adams effective scoring and, as you observed, he slammed it down OVER the defense while getting fouled.  The crowd erupted, but more importantly, the game's momentum shifted dramacticly to the Thunder after that play.  His Thunder teammates seemed to play with a little more urgency thereafter.  Frankly, I agree with you, Coach Raridon is a good coach but one that may be better at game planning then game adjusting.  He has an offensive powerhouse in Barringer, I think he had eighteen points in a half recently against Augie, who for whatever reason, has seen a reduction in minutes recently.  Twyman is a slasher but he does have a nice short range jumper (best arc on the team) but he is either capped by the Coach or lacks confidence in his skills.  Prince on the other hand is ALL defense, he is a good floor general but very weak offensively.  When the two of them play together the Cardinals suffer from their lack of production.  

Back to Carwell's slam.  In the pregame warmups, Carwell must have practiced at least twenty slams, maybe more.  I was so concerned the effort at flushing the basketball was risking either an injury or, at least, precious energy needed for the season's most important game, that I commented to a friend about what I thought was poor judgement on Carwell's behalf.  When he absolutely took the crowd out of their seats with his dunk, my friend just looked at me.  My reply was, "I stand corrected."  By the way, another guy who can surprise you with his vertical is Pflederer who was also flushing a few in warm-ups.  I am really looking forward to the 'above-the-rim' games of Carwell and McCrary next year.

[Sakman 1111]

Great night at Elmhurst last night. Packed house honored their three senior tri-captains. All three will sorely be missed next year. If Elmhurst gets after it and plays well they can beat anyone in D3.......The ? becomes whether they play well.....

[mr_b]

I really don't like Bosko.

I recently heard that Bosko does not like you either.

That would explain all that negative karma.

[titan2000]

I really don't like Bosko.

I recently heard that Bosko does not like you either.

That would explain all that negative karma.

I bet that Bosko come on here and posts me -K daily. Right after lunch.   

[Hoosier Titan]

I really don't like Bosko.

I recently heard that Bosko does not like you either.

It seems that Bosko wouldn't be the only one.  Ever wonder why, T2000?  And no, I haven't smited you.

Okay, I won't feed the troll any more.

[Hoosier Titan]

Just a note to follow up on Titan Q's excellent post about IWU's three seniors yesterday.  He's right:  they were put in a very difficult situation and are to be commended for sticking with the program and staying positive throughout recent transitions.

Brett Chamernik is, as Q said, undersized to play the post in the CCIW and he's always worked very hard at it.  One thing he has  done well is to know his strengths--power, rebounding and scoring close to the basket--and to play within his limits.  Too often players try to do the things they can't do rather than the things they can, and he has been a refreshing change.

Perhaps for that reason, it was particularly gratifying that he got his first career three last night.