MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

IWU 77
Carthage 72

Very well-played game by both teams, for the most part.

[iwumichigander]

Agree Greg - very well played by both teams - officials were letting them play for the most part.

For IWU, Doug Sexauer had 26 points really coming through in the second half and Sean Johnson with a double-double 26 pts and 12 huge rebounds.  Johnson looked like he was a 6'5" power forward tonight.

For Carthage, Stevie D 25 pts; Max Cary 15 pts and Tyler Smith 18 pts.7 Rbs. (as a freshman at 255 this young man is going to be a load next season)

Congratulations IWU - GO TITANS!

[Gregory Sager]

Four keys to this game:

* Sean Johnson played a tremendous first half. His shooting alone kept Illinois Wesleyan from getting buried, as Carthage was clearly dominant in the opening stanza. Johnson got very little help at the offensive end, but he put the Titans on his shoulders and kept them clsoe.

* Carthage, as was the case in the CCIW tourney championship game, had a sizable lead in the second half of this game. However, the Red Men had very poor shot selection in the second half, and as a result they went ice-cold. They forced up too many long trey attempts, usually very early in the shot clock, and didn't have the good floor spacing that they had in the first half that allowed Steve D. to pick apart the Titans' defense.

* Meanwhile, Ron Rose inserted Ryan Connolly into the game alongside Doug Sexauer. That completely opened up the inside for Sexauer, who had more or less been held in check down on the blocks. Sexauer went crazy down low once Rose made this move -- and I suspect that the media timeouts helped Connolly keep his wind. I doubt he's ever logged that many consecutive minutes before, but it worked. His presence on the floor made all the difference for Sexauer.

* IWU, which had been indifferent at the FT line for most of the game, was flawless from the charity stripe down the stretch.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm sure that Bosko would've loved to have had a lot of those second-half possessions back. The bad shot selection looked indicative of a young team that didn't always have the overall game plan in focus. It also showed that even having the best player in D3 isn't a cure-all. Steve D. can't take every shot, and he also can't stop his teammates from taking bad shots.

I'm still marveling at the moxie that Ron Rose showed by putting Connolly out on the floor with Sexauer, and then keeping him out there for that long. Rose really rolled the dice tonight, and wound up leaving the craps table with a big pile of chips in his hands.

[Just Bill]

Looks like it will be Point vs IWU.  Pointers lead by six and shooting free throws with 14 seconds to go.

[Mr. Ypsi]

While it is historically the norm, it feels weird this year - the Titan men are going deeper into the tourney than the Titan women.

I thought the women were a better than a 50-50 chance to play in their own FF; I doubted the men against both WashU and Carthage (and wasn't all that confident even against Central).

After the men beat Carthage to set up the game against (presumably, and now definitely) UWSP, I envisioned sweeping them out of both tourneys.  Now we need a win to gain a split.

[iwumichigander]

I'm sure that Bosko would've loved to have had a lot of those second-half possessions back. The bad shot selection looked indicative of a young team that didn't always have the overall game plan in focus. It also showed that even having the best player in D3 isn't a cure-all. Steve D. can't take every shot, and he also can't stop his teammates from taking bad shots.

I'm still marveling at the moxie that Ron Rose showed by putting Connolly out on the floor with Sexauer, and then keeping him out there for that long. Rose really rolled the dice tonight, and wound up leaving the craps table with a big pile of chips in his hands.

I thought Ron Rose did an excellent job using his bench tonight. 

[Titan Q]

In 6-7/225 junior Doug Sexauer (15.6 ppg, .624 FG), IWU has a pure back-to-the-basket star in the low post.  Doug is as polished as any D3 center out there this season.

That's an overstatement. Sexauer is a very good D3 center. But "as polished as any D3 center out there"? I really, really doubt that. What about Tyler Sanborn? Brandon Altmann? Dustin Mitchell? Marcel Esonwune? John Mantel? And there's probably other centers in the D3 ranks who are at least Sexauer's equal.

Heck, you can make a strong argument that the best center in the CCIW isn't Sexauer, it's Kyle Nelson of Augustana. Sexauer's a little better than Nelson when facing the basket; Nelson's a better rebounder than Sexauer, and he can also use his off-hand better than can his IWU counterpart. In fact, Sexauer's reluctance to shoot with his right hand belies any claim that he's fully polished.

I've seen Sexauer play numerous times, including twice this season. As I said, he's very good -- and opposing defenses have to take him very seriously. But at least at this point in his career he's nowhere near the level of, say, a Jeff Skemp or a Brent Ruch. And I doubt that he's on the level of a Tyler Sanborn, either.

Greg, I've seen Tyler Sanborn play (last year in Salem), and I think I am very familiar with what the center landscape looks like at this level. I'll stand by my statement - Doug Sexauer is as polished as any center in Division III.  I didn't say he is the "most dominant" or "the best"...I said he " is as polished..."  Certainly there are centers who are bigger, like 6-9/260 beast Sanborn, and many who are more athletic - and those players may be better because of it - but in terms of pure low-post "polish" (skill), I'll stack Sexauer up with anyone.  

Doug's post moves are fantastic, and that includes his ability to go right.  This is why, despite not being terribly athletic, Doug is a very impressive 208-332 (.627) from the field this year.  The fact you say he "has a reluctance to shoot with his right hand" makes it sound like you have not seen him play many times this season (just @ Chicago and @ North Park I believe?).  I think Carthage, Wash U, and Central fans would tell you Doug goes right in some huge situations with the game on the line.

Tonight - 26 points, 12-18 FG

http://www.iwusports.com/custompages/MBB/MBB2010/HTML/ncaa04.htm

This was really Doug Sexauer's game tonight. We didn't double on him, and that was my fault. When they needed a basket, he got it. - Bosko

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2010/3/12/Mens_Basketball_0312100059.aspx


I believe the statement I made was very fair and I'd be willing to bet most CCIW and D3 coaches (who have seen Sexauer) would agree with me.  (I've heard two D3 coaches with a few national titles between them make that exact statement in the last week.)

[Titan Q]

What a great win for the Titans tonight.  I'll post more in the morning.  I generally agree with everything Greg said about the game.

[spencer1988]

Bosko has a little bit of a lead on his CCIW peers in this category...


Career NCAA Division III Tournament Wins, through 3/6/10 (current CCIW head coaches)
1. Bosko Djurickovic (24 seasons) - 19 wins (14 seasons Carthage, 9 wins...10 seasons NPU, 10 wins)
2. Todd Raridon (21 seasons) - 8 wins (6 seasons NCC, 0 wins...15 seasons NWU, 8 wins)
3. Grey Giovanine (11 seasons) - 3 wins
4. Ron Rose (4 seasons) - 2 wins
5. Mark Scherer (14 seasons) - 1 win
5. Mike Schauer (10 seasons) - 1 win (1 season Wheaton, 1...7 seasons Gordon, 0...2 seasons Eastern, 0)
7. Paul Brenegan (6 seasons) - 0 wins
7. Marc Smith (3 seasons) - 0 wins

[spencer1988]

IWU was the better team tonight but I think you will see Carthage again next year.  With Stevie D and the youngsters they are going to be a force.  While Bosko didn't extend his lead of NCAA wins, he still has a commanding lead on active CCIW coaches.  I didn't realize until you posted this list that Coach G has only won three games in the NCAA tourney.  What is his record?

[The Roop]

Both winners got tested so we will see who has the most gas left in the tank Saturday night.

[Titan Q]

Four keys to this game:

* Sean Johnson played a tremendous first half. His shooting alone kept Illinois Wesleyan from getting buried, as Carthage was clearly dominant in the opening stanza. Johnson got very little help at the offensive end, but he put the Titans on his shoulders and kept them clsoe.

* Carthage, as was the case in the CCIW tourney championship game, had a sizable lead in the second half of this game. However, the Red Men had very poor shot selection in the second half, and as a result they went ice-cold. They forced up too many long trey attempts, usually very early in the shot clock, and didn't have the good floor spacing that they had in the first half that allowed Steve D. to pick apart the Titans' defense.

* Meanwhile, Ron Rose inserted Ryan Connolly into the game alongside Doug Sexauer. That completely opened up the inside for Sexauer, who had more or less been held in check down on the blocks. Sexauer went crazy down low once Rose made this move -- and I suspect that the media timeouts helped Connolly keep his wind. I doubt he's ever logged that many consecutive minutes before, but it worked. His presence on the floor made all the difference for Sexauer.

* IWU, which had been indifferent at the FT line for most of the game, was flawless from the charity stripe down the stretch.

IWU 77
Carthage 72

* Sean Johnson: 26 pts, 12 reb, 4 assists
* Doug Sexauer: 26 pts, 4 reb

* Steve Djurickovic: 25 pts, 5 reb, 8 assists
* Tyler Pierce: 18 pts, 7 reb


I think Greg's four keys to the game (above) are dead on.  I won't repeat all, but a few thoughts...

* Ron Rose did a great job of in-game coaching last night.  After getting down 9 with 15:53 to play in the game, Rose made adjustments on both ends of the floor.  In the final 15 minutes, the Titans got the shots they wanted on the offensive end, and defensively they gave Carthage the shots they were the most comfortable with giving (the kind of shots that if they go in, you just tip your cap and move on)...the best example being the 3 Guzman took with 3:41 to play and game tied.

* Without question, the lineup featuring both 6-9 Ryan Connolly and 6-7 Doug Sexauer was what won the game for the Titans.  This is the look IWU used during the conference tournament game vs Carthage too for stretches in the 2nd half, but definitely not for the extended minutes we saw it last night.

* IWU shot 16-23 (.696) from the field in the 2nd half.

* Junior Matt Schick, after sitting on the bench the entire CCIW season, was inserted back into the IWU rotation at the conference tournament two weeks ago.  Last night he played a very solid 13 minutes.  Schick knocked down a 3 in the 1st half, when the Titans were just trying to hang around.  With :37 left in the game and IWU up just 2, he was fouled and made both FT's.  Having not shot a meaningful FT the entire CCIW season (at least as far as I can remember), I thought those two makes said a lot about the Lincoln native.

* Can't say enough about Sean Johnson - 26 points and 12 rebounds.  And 6-6 from the FT line in the final 1:05.

* Doug Sexauer has just become such a huge presence inside for the Titans.  Every IWU opponent now has to pick between doubling Doug (and giving IWU open perimeter looks) and allowing him to score a bunch of points around the basket.  His is just so good with the ball on the blocks with his back to the basket.

* Sean Dwyer had another Sean Dwyer-type game.  The effort he gives on the defensive end is amazing.

* I believe Carthage has the best player in Division III, but I think it's really hard to win in the tournament with that much of the offensive focus centered around one player.  I'm not sure I have ever seen a team as reliant on one player as Carthage is on Steve Djurickovic.  The danger in a big game like last night, with a lot on the line, is that it can lead to some of the other players on the floor looking to him to make something happen down the stretch.  I saw that in the final minutes last night.  IWU has nothing that resembles Stevie D - and neither does UW-Stevens Point - but I believe balanced teams like the Titans and Pointers have a big advantage at this stage of the season.

* IWU is a team of junior and sophomores, all playing their first NCAA tournament games, but the Titans have played like a senior-dominated, tournament-test team the last two weekends.  I'm very proud of these guys...they are easy to root for and fun to watch.
 

[Titan Q]

UW-Stevens Point is a great team and the Titans will have their hands full this evening at Quandt.  The balance that the Pointers have reminds me a lot of the Titans - my guess is that you could watch 5 Stevens Point games during the year and leave each one thinking a different player in the best guy on the team.  They are just very solid at every position - in a lot of ways, like that Hanover group IWU squared off against so many times from 2003-04 through 2005-06 (Lanning, Lye, Dennis, etc).

IWU will be giving up size and muscle on the perimeter tonight.  Stevens Point has a bunch of strong, "thick" kids up and down the lineup, and the biggest disparity vs IWU is at the 1-3 spots.  On the flip side though, IWU's low-post game is better than the Pointers'.  One of the keys to the game will be how well the Titans can enter the ball into Sexauer and Connolly on the blocks.  Travis Rosenkranz, Sean Johnson, Jordan Zimmer, and Sean Dwyer will have to be strong with the ball on the perimeter, and they'll also have to put it on the floor a lot.

I've only seen Stevens Point once, but I'd agree with the consensus that most of the Pointer fans I spoke with afterwards came to - heading into the Elite 8 game tonight, the only difference between the two teams is probably the homecourt advantage.  I would be very surprised if this game is not close the entire way.

[Titan Q]

After losing its first four Elite 8 games as a Division III schoool, Illinois Wesleyan (first year D3 was 1983-84) has now won four in a row...

1985-86 - @ LeMoyne-Owen (lost, 85-93)
1987-88 - @ Ohio Wesleyan (lost, 103-106)
1989-90 - @ DePauw (lost, 65-68)
1994-95 - vs Manchester (lost, 82-89)
1995-96 - vs Wash U, @ Roanoke College (won 73-61)
1996-97 - vs Methodist (won 95-63)
2000-01 - @ Chicago (won, 77-68)
2005-06 - vs Puget Sound, @ Lawrence (won 113-99)