MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[spencer1988]

IWU played this poorly against Carthage last year late in the season (lost by 25) and then went to the final 8.  I expected Carthage to beat IWU at Carthage.  More surprised by Wheaton's loss to North Central.  North Central's competitive game against IWU and the win against Wheaton may indicate that North Central is better than expected.  Look out for the talented frosh at North Central.   Only Millikin appears to be a gimme.

Augustana is clearly the best team.  Unfortunately, Coach G doesn't do very well late in the season and post season when he has the most talent as indicated by his number of NCAA tournament wins.

[iwufans]

I am not sure I would call Rose's moves last night as panic driven.   I think he was trying desperately to find someone who could hit a shot.   Carthage had to win this game.  They were pumped.  IWU just couldn't keep them off the offensive glass and only shoots 30%.  The coach can do everything right, but if the players can't get the rebounds and if they have an off night shooting...the team is going to look bad....like they did last night.  You have four of last night's starters that are still not in top form due to injuries.   It is one loss, and not all that unexpected.    No need to panic.   As spencer noted...IWU loses big to Carthage last year  and then beats them in the tournament to make it to the final 8.  I think it will all be good in the long run.

[augiefan]

ugustana is clearly the best team.  Unfortunately, Coach G doesn't do very well late in the season and post season when he has the most talent as indicated by his number of NCAA tournament wins.
[/quote]


Two games into the conference season is a lttle early to say that Augie is "clearly the best team." Augie has the best record right now, but they are challenged at the FT line, have struggled against mediocre competition and have limited talent at the guard position. They do have real depth, a lot of quality bigs and a strong defense, and as several have pointed out Augie is not as "purty" as the rest of the CCIW contenders. I think this year's race is up for grabs, and it is quite probable that the CCIW tourney champ will not be the regular season champ.  Finishing the seasaon with 4 road games also does not bode well for Augie in a close race.

All in all the league appears pretty mediocre based on usual CCIW standards with 6 pretty good teams and one really bad one in Decatur. Bassed on performance to date, I'm not sure any CCIW team is going to be very successful in the NCAA tourney, but there is a lot of time to change that in the course of the conference season.

I certainly agree that NCC is remakably improved since the season started thanks to their 3 quality freswhmen: Gamble, Goldthree and Burchett, who seem to be fitting in well with Raridon, Gillespie and Evans. The Cardinals are definitely looking better each game, despite thehistoryof freshmen not performing  well in the CCIW. 

[AndOne]

I am not sure I would call Rose's moves last night as panic driven.   I think he was trying desperately to find someone who could hit a shot.  Carthage had to win this game.  They were pumped.  IWU just couldn't keep them off the offensive glass and only shoots 30%.  The coach can do everything right, but if the players can't get the rebounds and if they have an off night shooting...the team is going to look bad....like they did last night.  You have four of last night's starters that are still not in top form due to injuries.   It is one loss, and not all that unexpected.    No need to panic.   As spencer noted...IWU loses big to Carthage last year  and then beats them in the tournament to make it to the final 8.  I think it will all be good in the long run.

Perhaps Ron Rose has overestimated the degree of talent in some of his freshmen. No doubt they will be good players in the future, but are they ready to contribute as much at this juncture as Rose apparently thinks?
If he was looking, as indicated above, "desperately to find someone who could hit a shot," why not turn to a trio of seniors who have demonstrated the ability to do so. For instance, Dan Schouten who has started 7 games is shooting approx 47%, and is even better on threes at 52%. Duncan Lawson is at 53% , and 42% on threes. Matt Schick is shooting a lofty 56% overall, and 45% on threes.
Despite coming out on the winning end Wed night against North Central, Wesleyan did not look "in sync" for the supposed 18th ranked team in the nation. They were basically held at bay and were unable to finish off a NCC team that was comprised of 60% of freshmen among the players who saw action.
Perhaps too, Wesleyan is dealing with a chemistry and/or attitude problem. Fourth year players such as Schouten, Lawson, Schick, and O'Callaghan, on whom a missing persons report was recently filed, must be disappointed in the amount of court time they have seen since their enrollments at IWU. All were intensely recruited with the idea that they would have a distinct chance to be either starters or see significant playing time by their 4th year, IF NOT BEFORE. Whats their attitude in practice if they feel no matter what they do they won't see much PT, and that Rose is instead going to go with Davis or Dortch or even Connolly who needs to be within a few feet of the basket to convert? Same can be said for Rudnicki who has played 2 minutes in the last 2 games compared to Gonzalez' 20.
Another observation is that Rosenkranz can't shoot very well as evidenced by his 38%, including 30% on threes. While he is a good assist man, a smart team will incorporate a defensive game plan that forces him to shoot. He was 5 for 20 against North Central and Carthage. Additionally, he is soft. In his face defensive pressure would no doubt cut down on some of his nice number of assists.  I see he had 0 assists last night and 3 TOs. Strong defensive pressure? Johnson is a great shooter who can go off at any time. However both he and Rosenkranz are inferior defensively, and are susceptible to and can be dominated by quicker, and/or bigger match ups.    
Lastly, is Sexauer hurt or isn't he. If he is, 1) are excuses being made for the quality
of his play, and 2) perhaps someone else should be in there until he is recovered. Wesleyan did pretty darn well with others filling in for Koschnitzky and Zimmer during their stints on the disabled list. If Rose wants an inside force only, he can insert Connolly, and if he wants to go with a stronger outside game, depending on the opposing personnel, he has a wide choice from those mentioned above.  

At the beginning of the season, I labeled Wesleyan as the conference favorite due mainly to their great depth and senior leadership. It appears that there is some question as to the both the degree of senior leadership they are getting, and how that depth is being used, or possibly NOT used, as evidenced by some questionable player rotation patterns.

[TitansIWU]

AndOne.

I agree with much of what you have posted.


I would also like to point out that Victor Davis will at some point be a good to great CCIW player.

I believe in critical possessions last night, he travelled 3 times and single handedly caused turnovers which killed ANY chance that there was for a momentum shift.

Mark my words, this game was a HUGE loss mentally and statistically for IWU.

I am still optimistic, and I don't have all the answers, but what we are seeing right now suggests the coaching staff doesn't either.

The difference is, I am not paid to have the answers, the coaching staff is.

[spencer1988]

I am not going to bash any Titan players but when John Koshnitzky and Jordan Zimmer were out with their injuries,  many upperclassmen were given plenty of opportunities and didn't perform.  When the rebounding has become such a problem, I can't imagine why you wouldn't give Victor Davis a chance.  Yes, he will make some mistakes but if he ends up being the rebounder he was projected to be, he could solve some Titan problems.   

Rosenkranz needs to get a little confidence in his outside shot, Sexauer needs to get healthy, and Zimmer and John K need to get their basketball legs back and the Titans will be fine.  I have a very different opinion from some of you.  With the lack of athleticism, I would like to see frosh Eric Dortch on the court a little.  I would like to see him have a chance to guard Steve D next time the Titans play Carthage.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I am not going to bash any Titan players but when John Koshnitzky and Jordan Zimmer were out with their injuries,  many upperclassmen were given plenty of opportunities and didn't perform.  When the rebounding has become such a problem, I can't imagine why you wouldn't give Victor Davis a chance.  Yes, he will make some mistakes but if he ends up being the rebounder he was projected to be, he could solve some Titan problems.   

Rosenkranz needs to get a little confidence in his outside shot, Sexauer needs to get healthy, and Zimmer and John K need to get their basketball legs back and the Titans will be fine.  I have a very different opinion from some of you.  With the lack of athleticism, I would like to see frosh Eric Dortch on the court a little.  I would like to see him have a chance to guard Steve D next time the Titans play Carthage.

Agree fully with your post (though I don't have an opinion one way or the other on Dortch).  IF they come together and stay healthy, I still have hopes of Salem.

[TitansIWU]

I would absolutely give Victor Davis a chance.

Just not against Carthage down by 14 with 8 minutes left.

I really don't blame Victor for making mistakes, I make the point to illustrate there is a time when you need experienced players on the floor who at least can practice sound fundamentals in crunch time.

[WheatonFanChris]

While a trip to Augie is never a very fun thing for the Thunder, this week's game could be much more frightening with the recent disappearance of any sort of production from Spencer Schultze. At NCC, Schauer used a 4 guard lineup more than I've seen this year, which was a little bit more effective than otherwise, but that would leave everyone other than McCrary a good amount shorter than any lineup Augie will throw out on Wednesday. Unless Spence can quickly turn things around this week, I'd expect to see a lot of Nathan Haynes at the 5, and maybe for Billy Berglund to make his conference debut.

As Haynes has gained more PT, he is showing he can certainly be a quality cciw defender, and with a bit of work or maybe just boldness on the offensive end, could turn into an effective contributor for the next four years.

Also concerning was the lack of penetration from Andrew Jahns, which I am certain has to be a one game blip on the radar (as he has been phenomenal all season long). Jon Demoss did what he could to get to the rim, and I'm not an x and o's guy, but most of Wheaton's offense was pass the ball around the perimeter and hope someone hit a three while McCrary was smothered.

And although Wheaton was a bit slower than the Cardinals at times Saturday, I would look for the Thunder to try to get out and use their speed a bit more against Augie if McCrary isn't established early as a huge threat inside.

[Titan Q]

As I am in Lincoln, NE on our house hunting trip I was not able to follow the IWU/Carthage game at all.  However, here is the boxscore from the IWU @ Carthage regular season game last year...

http://www.iwusports.com/custompages/MBB/MBB2010/HTML/iwmbb19.htm


IWU was down 20 at the half and lost 80-55.

The same IWU team went 10-4 in the league and went to the Elite 8.

While the Titans stunk up Tarble Arena, and embarrassed themselves, it's really still way too early in the CCIW season (2 games in) to over analyze. 

[Titan Q]

Salem.

After an OT win at home over North Central, followed by a blowout loss, you reference Salem??  Per my post above, clearly it is too early to over-analyze things...but mention of Salem?

You're a real piece of work, Chuck.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Salem.

After an OT win at home over North Central, followed by a blowout loss, you reference Salem??  Per my post above, clearly it is too early to over-analyze things...but mention of Salem?

You're a real piece of work, Chuck.

As YOU said, it is way too early to over-analyze.

Based on earlier prognostications, and on-paper talents, IF things work out well I have HOPES for Salem - is that a crime??!!

[Have you already thrown in the towel? ]

[AndOne]

The Wheaton @ NCC game was great fun to watch. (It was also the only competitive game of the day in the CCIW.) Wheaton never looked mentally in the game; even though Tim McCrary put up his usual numbers he just never looked like he was all there upstairs. I mean, when's the last time that McCrary fouled out of a game? And his fellow vets Andrew Jahns and Spencer Schultze played pretty poorly for Wheaton as well. Jahns did score 13, but he turned the ball over five times and didn't play all that well at the defensive end, and Schultze looked like he was out there solely to help provide footage for Landon Gamble's highlight reel. NCC looked very sharp. The Cardinals, for such a young team, displayed a lot of composure in: a) fighting back from an early 8-2 deficit that had the makings of evolving into a runaway Wheaton win -- NCC outscored Wheaton 15-4 after that opening WC flurry; and: b) never letting Wheaton close the gap, fighting off each run that the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance threw at them. From the 9:24 mark of the first half on, NCC refused to let Wheaton get within one possession of tying the game. When you consider the fact that the Cards were unable to pull away -- they had a couple of 13-point leads, but for most of the final thirty minutes their lead was in single digits -- that's pretty remarkable. It was really a classic bend-but-don't-break performance by NCC.

A couple of the NCC freshmen looked very good. C.J. Goldthree is going to be a serious force in this league; he has both the athleticism and the jump shot to make his presence felt on the offensive end. Like a lot of freshmen, though, his shot selection leaves something to be desired. Landon Gamble showed that his strong performance against Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday was no fluke. He gave McCrary a good run for his money in terms of being the most dominant inside player in the game. But in the end it was the veterans, Kevin Gillespie and Brian Evans, who made the big plays in the final two minutes to hold off Wheaton and win the game.

This makes seven wins in a row for NCC over Wheaton in the airplane hangar. I used to joke about Todd Raridon having a Bill Harris voodoo doll in his desk drawer in which he used to stick pins prior to every visit by Wheaton to Naperville. Looks like Raridon's witch doctor has fashioned a similar talisman of Mike Schauer with which Raridon can continue to work his anti-Wheaton juju hand.

I'll just add some observations---

*As GS advised, Wheaton never looked mentally into the game. But, why not? After all, they were on a 5 game win streak. Did they underestimate the Cardinals young lineup from the beginning, or were they suddenly surprised by the home team's youthful energy?
*At one point, the Cardinals were able to not only hold off the attempted Thunder surge, but actually to add to their lead with 4 freshman and a sophomore on the floor.
*The baby birds seem to be thriving rather than wilting under pressure situations.
*As mentioned above, NCC frosh CJ Goldthree (15pts off the bench on 6/11 and 3/4), and Landon Gamble (18 pts on 5/10 and 8/8) had nice games. Both show evidence of future stardom in the league. As part of consecutive strong outings against IWU and WC, the 6'6" 240 lb Gamble is a perfect 14 for 14 from the line.
*Another Cardinal freshman, Chris Smith also showed very well. In 18 minutes of action off the bench, Chris contributed 9 pts on 2/3 from the field and 3/4 from the line. He also displayed a solid floor game dishing out 4 assists while not turning the ball over. Continued play like that will cement Chris' spot in the regular rotation. Fellow frosh, 6'8"  Brad Hallstein played 15 minutes and hit on 2 of his 3 shot attempts. I believe Brad will continue to see meaningful minutes and make a positive contribution to the Cardinal cause.
*Derek Raridon gave the Cardinals just what he needs to. He tied for game high scoring honors with 18 pts on 6/13 and 5/6, and was NCC's 2nd high rebounder with 6. 
*Veterans Brian Evans and Kevin Gillespie really came through in the clutch.
Evans, as usual, led the Cards in rebounding with 8. However, his best play was an astonishing offensive rebound and put-back with only 1:36 left in the contest. Brian also led the Cards with 5 assists. Not too many guys around that are team leaders in both rebounds and assists.
Gillespie, scoreless in the game until only 43 seconds remained, stood by with the 6 nails that finally sealed the Wheaton coffin. as he hammered in 6 FTs in the same number of attempts in those final 43 seconds.
* Wheaton's Jon DeMoss appears to not have met too many shot opportunities he doesn't like. After bombing in 2 from downtown in the early going, he continued to launch unsuccessfully from beyond the arc, finally finishing 2 for 8 from long distance. He appears to pose a bigger danger when he limits his attempts to shorter distances as evidenced by his 4 for 6 production inside the line. He appears pretty strong and quick, geared more for slashing to the basket than for bombing from long range.
*I believe Tim McCrary is the league's preeminent big man. However, last evening, as Mr. Sager mentioned above, his body language and court demeanor suggested he just wasn't mentally ready to compete at his usual high level.
*McCrary can't be all of Wheaton's inside presence by himself. He needs at least some help which evidently is supposed to come from Spencer Schultze. But, against NCC, he was basically a non entity with 4 points on 1/4 shooting and 2/2 FTs and only 1 rebound before fouling out.     

[WheatonFanChris]

* Wheaton's Jon DeMoss appears to not have met too many shot opportunities he doesn't like. After bombing in 2 from downtown in the early going, he continued to launch unsuccessfully from beyond the arc, finally finishing 2 for 8 from long distance. He appears to pose a bigger danger when he limits his attempts to shorter distances as evidenced by his 4 for 6 production inside the line. He appears pretty strong and quick, geared more for slashing to the basket than for bombing from long range.

This was quite true from Saturday night's contest, but I do wonder if the coaching staff hasn't asked him to shoot a bit more. After all, he only had one fg attempt against Carthage, and no more than 5 in a game since his return from concussion. He should be a very useful force for the Thunder putting the ball up, as shown when he lit up Whitewater for 24 pts on 9-12 fg before getting hurt, but as quoted, he may have gone a bit overboard from long range on Saturday after a quick start.

[markerickson]

I visited Millikin's bball website.  It lists only 10 players on the roster, and 5 are freshmen.  Two seniors and one junior.