MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[coat]

CCIW play in full swing...gotta love it.  Sure looks to me like Augustana is the best team in the league by a decent margin.  I hope I'm wrong.

I was at this game last night and both teams looked terrible. If Augie is the league's best team, they better improve significantly or this is a down year for the CCIW!

[dansand]

CCIW play in full swing...gotta love it.  Sure looks to me like Augustana is the best team in the league by a decent margin.  I hope I'm wrong.

I was at this game last night and both teams looked terrible. If Augie is the league's best team, they better improve significantly or this is a down year for the CCIW!

Only 12-0 "terrible" team in the country. 

[crusader_nation]

The Wheaton/Carthage game was really a tale of two halves. Wheaton couldn't have looked worse than they did in the first half. The game started out with both teams playing very good defense. Carthage then managed to spring some shooters free for a flurry of three-pointers, which fueled their run to go up by 11 at the half.

In the second half, Wheaton came out strong on both ends, with McCrary getting some nice looks in the post. Carthage really had no answer for him. The Thunder were able to contain Stevie D and no one else on Carthage seemed to "just" 19 points on 4-for-13 shooting. They sent him to the line a bunch, too.

This was my first time seeing Carthage this year, but it really looks like they don't have a strong second option.

Wheaton seems to find answers when they need them. I second the opinion that Jahns is having a great season. Freshman guard Tyler Peters really came on strong when they needed him last night, too.

A fun game to kick off conference play.

[augie77]

]

I was at this game last night and both teams looked terrible. If Augie is the league's best team, they better improve significantly or this is a down year for the CCIW!
[/quote]

Only 12-0 "terrible" team in the country. 
[/quote]

I'm sure North Park was looking past Augie, awaiting more credible competition. I'm glad word is out about how terrible Augustana is.  Hopefully the entire conference will overlook us.

[John Gleich]

CCIW play in full swing...gotta love it.  Sure looks to me like Augustana is the best team in the league by a decent margin.  I hope I'm wrong.

I was at this game last night and both teams looked terrible. If Augie is the league's best team, they better improve significantly or this is a down year for the CCIW!

I think saying that Augie is the best team doesn't mean that they're the prettiest team...

They have the ability to grind games out and they win them close.  They haven't had but a couple of blowouts, the first two games of the year (85-66 vs. Simpson, and 78-55 vs. Wash U).

And yet...  the last 10 have been relatively close...

Opponent	Margin	Record
Anderson	5	8-4
Monmouth	7	2-8
St. Ambrose	7	11-3
Buena Vista	8	6-7
UW Whitewater	6	9-4
MacMurry	3	3-8
UW Stout	6	7-6
St. Norbert	1	8-2
Chicago	7	3-8
North Park	13	6-6

This is an average margin of victory of 6.3.  But there doesn't seem to be much of a disparity between the wins against seemingly good competition and seemingly bad competition.  

The wins against Anderson, St. Ambrose, Whitewater, and St. Norbert look like they're against pretty good teams...

But the wins against Monmouth, McMurry, and Chicago look like they might be against mediocre teams at best... and they still couldn't put them away.

I think it had been mentioned previously that the free throw shooting had been one area that Augie had struggled in earlier this year (if not, then I'm wrong... wouldn't be the first time!).  That could be one reason why the games are closer (and not, say, 10-15 point differentials).

Or it could be that they don't really have the same ability to score in spurts like others and push a close game to an 8-10 margin.  These "mediocre" teams have been blown out by other teams that are middle or the road or upper-tier teams...

And though Augie has turned away all comers thusfar, perhaps they will meet their demise when they play a Wheaton or an IWU...

Or maybe Augie will have the ability to slow down even these teams, as they did SNC, Whitewater, or St. Ambrose.  But I guess that's why we play the games!


As an aside, in terms of the quality of the conference, Bob's run-down of non-con games really does speak volumes in terms of the quality of the conference, from top to bottom.  I think it was dragged down this year a little by the teams at the bottom... but when you look at Carthage (the conference favorite) going 7-4 (2-2 in-region), that isn't what you expect from the top team.  

But, curiously, the CCIW is 4-0 against the WIAC this year, though there haven't been any games against the 3 current top teams (River Falls, Stevens Point, or La Crosse).  Three of the games have been by #1 Augie (Stout and Whitewater), T#2 Wheaton (Whitewater), over middle-of-the-road WIAC teams, and against Oshkosh, the bottom feeder of the WIAC this year.  And, except for the Wheaton over Whitewater game, they have all been close.

[Gregory Sager]

CCIW play in full swing...gotta love it.  Sure looks to me like Augustana is the best team in the league by a decent margin.  I hope I'm wrong.

I was at this game last night and both teams looked terrible. If Augie is the league's best team, they better improve significantly or this is a down year for the CCIW!

I think saying that Augie is the best team doesn't mean that they're the prettiest team...

They have the ability to grind games out and they win them close.  They haven't had but a couple of blowouts, the first two games of the year (85-66 vs. Simpson, and 78-55 vs. Wash U).

And yet...  the last 10 have been relatively close...

Opponent	Margin	Record
Anderson	5	8-4
Monmouth	7	2-8
St. Ambrose	7	11-3
Buena Vista	8	6-7
UW Whitewater	6	9-4
MacMurry	3	3-8
UW Stout	6	7-6
St. Norbert	1	8-2
Chicago	7	3-8
North Park	13	6-6

This is an average margin of victory of 6.3.  But there doesn't seem to be much of a disparity between the wins against seemingly good competition and seemingly bad competition.  

The wins against Anderson, St. Ambrose, Whitewater, and St. Norbert look like they're against pretty good teams...

But the wins against Monmouth, McMurry, and Chicago look like they might be against mediocre teams at best... and they still couldn't put them away.

I think it had been mentioned previously that the free throw shooting had been one area that Augie had struggled in earlier this year (if not, then I'm wrong... wouldn't be the first time!).  That could be one reason why the games are closer (and not, say, 10-15 point differentials).

Or it could be that they don't really have the same ability to score in spurts like others and push a close game to an 8-10 margin.  These "mediocre" teams have been blown out by other teams that are middle or the road or upper-tier teams...

And though Augie has turned away all comers thusfar, perhaps they will meet their demise when they play a Wheaton or an IWU...

Or maybe Augie will have the ability to slow down even these teams, as they did SNC, Whitewater, or St. Ambrose.  But I guess that's why we play the games!

You hit the nail on the head with your opening line, PS. The defensive carping of the Augie fans regarding Coat's comment aside, the fact of the matter is that Augie is certainly not a terrible team in terms of effectiveness, but it is a terrible team in terms of aesthetics and efficiency. Aesthetics doesn't matter, of course; the fact that games involving Augie all look as though they were being played by ten guys wearing hip waders doesn't matter one bit, because the five guys in hip waders who are wearing navy blue and gold invariably end up on the fat end of the scoreboard -- and that's all that matters. As you point out, Augie is inefficient in the way that it wins; no matter whom the Doggies play, it always seems to be a close game. That may be a matter of Augie playing to the level of the competition, and it may have something to do with Augie's poor FT shooting as well, inasmuch as FT shooting often spells the difference in terms of final margin when you consider that Augustana usually is in the lead going into crunch time. (to be continued)

[Gregory Sager]

But I think that the bigger reason is a stylistic one. A team that's predicated upon halfcourt defense, as Grey Giovanine's inevitably are, in which each player is required to expend a great deal of his energy at the defensive end of the floor, is not a team that's likely to rack up big amounts of points. Augie usually isn't a team that's way up there in terms of seasonal winning margins. The upside, of course, is that Augie is in every game it plays, because, while even the best offenses can have cold shooting nights, the best defenses never have an off night. Defense is a much more consistent mode of winning upon which to hang your hat than is offense; the tradeoff is that it's often hard to pull away from even mediocre or poor opponents if you're a defense-first team.

[usee]

while even the best offenses can have cold shooting nights, the best defenses never have an off night. Defense is a much more consistent mode of winning upon which to hang your hat than is offense; the tradeoff is that it's often hard to pull away from even mediocre or poor opponents if you're a defense-first team.

Greg,

This is an excellent point and I think it certainly defines Augie. I would expand this and say it definitely defines Wheaton as well. People wonder why Wheaton can have "bad years" and still beat the top CCIW teams (remember Raymond's 'walkabout" year?) and it's because under Harris and now Schauer, they have always been a defense first team. Augie has been good under GG for years because of this and these two programs, even in "down" years, are still in the top half of the conference standings.

It does go to the point Titan Q has made in the past as well about playoff success. Teams that get on a run for the national tournament have player(s) offensively that can carry them. Wheaton had it w Raymond, Wash U was a defense first team but had some serious scoring power. We often have wondered why Augie hasn't done as well in the Tourney some years and I wonder if it's because they don't really ever have a dominant scoring threat who can control games (and make FT at the end ). All this has been mentioned on here before but I thought it bears repeating in light of this conversation.

[Gregory Sager]

while even the best offenses can have cold shooting nights, the best defenses never have an off night. Defense is a much more consistent mode of winning upon which to hang your hat than is offense; the tradeoff is that it's often hard to pull away from even mediocre or poor opponents if you're a defense-first team.

Greg,

This is an excellent point and I think it certainly defines Augie. I would expand this and say it definitely defines Wheaton as well. People wonder why Wheaton can have "bad years" and still beat the top CCIW teams (remember Raymond's 'walkabout" year?) and it's because under Harris and now Schauer, they have always been a defense first team. Augie has been good under GG for years because of this and these two programs, even in "down" years, are still in the top half of the conference standings.

Your point about Wheaton is correct, but I would argue that Giovanine's Augie teams are in a category unto themselves, in that his defense is: a) fed fresh energy at frequent intervals by substitutions from the deep rotation; and b) is so relentlessly physical (and borderline thuggish in the eyes of many Augie opponents and their fans) that it wears down an opponent physically, mentally, and emotionally in ways that Wheaton and other strongly defense-oriented teams don't.

It does go to the point Titan Q has made in the past as well about playoff success. Teams that get on a run for the national tournament have player(s) offensively that can carry them. Wheaton had it w Raymond, Wash U was a defense first team but had some serious scoring power. We often have wondered why Augie hasn't done as well in the Tourney some years and I wonder if it's because they don't really ever have a dominant scoring threat who can control games (and make FT at the end ). All this has been mentioned on here before but I thought it bears repeating in light of this conversation.

I think that that's a valid theory. Augie did have a big-scoring superstar in '06, however, as CCIW MOP Rick Harrigan averaged over 22 ppg that season. Harrigan was certainly capable of carrying Augie on his back in terms of scoring. However, Augie lost in the Sweet Sixteen to Puget Sound.

[usee]

Agree on the differences of Augie vis a vis other defense 1st teams.

[coat]

I suppose using the word "terrible" is an unfair exaggeration. Certainly, Augie is not a pretty team to watch, but that wasn't really the point I intended to make. 

While watching the game last night, I felt that a good team should have beat NP by 20+ points.  I have no problem giving credit where it's due -- and Augie is certainly an imposing defensive team. However NP didn't go themselves any favors. As hard as they worked to get back in the game, there were numerous short jumpers, layups, and free throws that NP clanged all game along.  They seemed to lose composure very easily, especially the project they have playing center this year. It'll be interesting to see how Augie fares when they match up against a more offensively proficient squad. Maybe they make everyone look bad? 

[OurHouse]

IWU was extremely fortunate to secure a must home win against a NCC team with some outstanding freshmen talent.

[/quote]

Well, when you get quotes like these, it's always the prayer that wins....

"Thank goodness," said IWU coach Ron Rose. "You could just sense John's confidence and aggressiveness increasing in the second half when we weren't getting much going other places."

It's your job to get things going that aren't going in other places - DAH

[AndOne]

IWU was extremely fortunate to secure a must home win against a NCC team with some outstanding freshmen talent. NCC will improve with every game. Raridon seems lost at the offensive end. Jordan Zimmer hit one of the biggest 3-point shots in recent Shirk Center history from deep in the left corner to give IWU a 68-66 lead with a minute left in OT, an absolute dagger for NCC. Zimmer and John Koschnitzky, who were both injured (the former with a broken foot bone and the latter with a painful back) during IWU's first 9 games, were easily IWU's best players tonight. Victor Davis has to play more minutes and probably will Saturday at Carthage.  IWU played only 9 with the 4 reserves: Schick, Gonzalez, Davis & Connolly. Injuries were a key factor in a disappointing 2nd half for the Titans. I can't see NCC as a serious threat in the CCIW unless Raridon regains the offensive dominance he showed last year as freshman.

There is no question IWU was fortunate (lucky) to escape that game with a win.  After leading most of the game, losing would have been a complete disaster, and just a killer.

I am still hopeful the Titans can put it all together, but it's really been a strange season so far.  If there is any silver lining in last night's game, it is that John Koschnitzky and Jordan Zimmer played so well.  On the flip side, so many of the other guys were just completely ineffective though.  IWU just can't seem to get it all clicking together this year.  

I had heard early yesterday that Doug Sexauer would not play due to that bad sprain.  Then he not only played, but started and played 34 minutes.  The WJBC guys seemed to paint the picture that Doug was just completely ineffective on the floor however, and just could not move well at all.  And I guess Sean Johnson has now suffered some kind of hip injury per the Pantagraph?  The Titans really need these two to be good this weekend.

IWU's game @ Carthage Saturday is huge for both teams...probably a little more so for the Red Men.  If Carthage wants to have any chance to contend for the CCIW title and salvage the 2010-11 season, they have to win on their home floor Saturday.  For IWU, it is an opportunity to get a big road win.

CCIW play in full swing...gotta love it.  Sure looks to me like Augustana is the best team in the league by a decent margin.  I hope I'm wrong.

Entering last night's contest vs North Central, the Wesleyan Titans were no doubt looking forward to what they figured to be an easy win considering their national ranking, the pre-season conference coaches poll, and NCC's losing record. As has been suggested above, the Titans should consider themselves lucky that the NCC  Cardinals seem to have difficulty converting not only from long distance, but also on the shortest of shot attempts.  If NCC doesn't unexpectedly blow about 6 layup attempts, the favored Titans would be looking at an opening conference season game loss. The Cardinals effectively employed their defensive scheme against the Titan duo of Sean Johnson (18.6 ppg) and Doug Sexauer (13.0 ppg) holding them to 8 and 7 respectively, or 16 under their combined average. This played to another part of the Cardinal game plan in forcing Travis Rosenkranz to shoot the 3 more often than Johnson. This strategy was also mostly successful in nature as Rosenkranz played into the Cards' hand by launching 8 three balls, only 2 of which found the mark. However, the 2 that were successful seemed to come at rather important junctures of the game. Where the NCC defense failed was in letting John Koschnitzky and Jordan Zimmer go wild. Showing no signs of their previous injuries, John led the Titan scoring with 21. He shot 50%  from the field and was a perfect 10/10 on free throws, including 6 in the OT period. Zimmer hit for 18 with 11 coming in the 1st half and being largely responsible for Wesleyan's 10 point halftime lead.

Coming out of the half, IWU quickly built the lead up to 14, and it frankly looked like the Titans might be on their way to a 20 point or more win. However, the youthful Cardinals dug in, played good defense, dominated the boards, and chipped away at that 14 point lead. A Victor Davis basket at 4:23 gave the Titans a 60-52 lead, but the Cardinals then scored the last 8 points of the 2nd half, finally tying the score on a driving layup by freshman Landon Gamble with .02 left on the clock.    

Wesleyan jumped out to a quick 5 point advantage in the OT, only to see the Cards rally again to take a 1 point lead on 2 FTs by Derek Raridon. Fueled by Zimmer's 3 ball and Koschnitzky's 4 FTs, the more experienced Titans then outscored the Cards 7-2 in the final 1:58 of the OT period to claim the W.

The best player on the floor last night was Cardinal freshman Landon Gamble for who the Titans had no answer. Gamble finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds. Fellow frosh CJ Goldthree also flashed signs of future top level play in contributing 12 points off the bench and, at 6'0" and 155 pounds, 8 boards. NCC's other big, Jack Burchett played well inside, going 4/7 for 8 points to go along with 3 rebounds. NCC outrebounded IWU by a whopping 45-30, lead by Brian Evans' 10  boards.

In the end, Koschnitzky and Zimmer led the Titans to victory, aided by NCC's inability to convert several seemingly easy layup opportunities, and their grossly inadequate long range markmanship as evidenced by their shooting only 18.8 from beyond the arc.    

[Titan Q]

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

+/- Standings
Augustana +1
Carthage +0
Elmhurst +0
Illinois Wesleyan +0
Millikin +0
North Central +0
Wheaton +0
North Park -1

(Usually takes +4 to win the title)


Saturday, 1/8
Illinois Wesleyan @ Carthage
Wheaton @ North Central
Millikin @ North Park
Elmhurst @ Augustana

[coebball70]

Rules are made to be broken, or is that records?  My normal rule is to talk about teams because basketball is a team game.  Leave critical comments about individuals aside because I've been there, done that and everybody has a bad game at some point.  But here comes a post that I have been meaning to make for at least two years.  Brian Evans, most of you don't even recognize the name.  But Brian Evans is why I watch D3 basketball.  His performance in an overtime loss to Illinois Wesleyan must have been a thing of beauty. 10 rebounds, 8 points and 4 assists in 42 minutes.  His rebounding performance doubled every Titan player except for one who had 6 boards.  I have watched the North Central senior play since his travel basketball days in 7th grade.  In my experience playing and watching the game, only about 50 years, I have never seen a player make so much out of so little talent.  Like the crack comment goes, Brian is small and he's slow, too.  But does he play with brains, character and guts.  If you could clone Brian Evan's 'heart for the game' and distribute it, the game of basketball would be better off.