MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

You're welcome, Greg - we aim to please (so please aim - sign in many bar urinals)!

I really am serious, though, in my hopes for an NPU rise.  While it is obviously fewer total games than Caltech basketball, the streaks are getting embarrassing for both the SCIAC and CCIW (not to mention Caltech and NPU).  I honestly hope NPU wins at least one game in conference next year (just NOT against IWU ).

[Gregory Sager]

Since the league is constantly trying to hold down costs -- remember last season's switch to Saturday women's/men's doubleheaders? -- it's highly doubtful that the CCIW is suddenly going to spring for an all-games webcast package like the MWC's deal with Penn Atlantic. I would expect broadcasting of CCIW sports events, be it via radio, video webcasts, or local-access television, to continue to be a school-by-school endeavor for the foreseeable future.

Of course, I'd love to be proved wrong. Then, Rob and I could blame any production glitches we might be having on the air on CCIW commissioner Chris Martin.


Your point is well taken, and I admit we are in a time where every group, league, business, household is trying to control expenses, especially new ones.

I am not a broadcaster, or a webcaster, or any kind of caster, but the total cost to stream the game just can not be that much. I was thinking the individual schools would still be in charge utilizing student and other "love of the game" volunteer labor, but the league would put together some "best practices."

Camera cost, some bandwidth, some hosting costs, maybe a few other incidentals I haven't thought of.

Seems like if one school does it well, the same concept, equipment and everything else can be used as the standard. This year the league writes the new policy, next year it helps iron out the bugs, the following year they encourage the standards to be followed. And in the 4th year, they require it.

4 years from now, and that is moving slower than necessary IMO, this vision of a "CCIW PORTAL OF HOOPS EXCELLENCE" can be realized.

Maybe under a better name.

If it were all under one umbrella perhaps there would be corporate sponsors who would get involved to help defer costs.

Yes, but if it was left up to the individual schools to comply with this set of standards you'd wind up with a league-imposed mandate that wasn't followed up by league-provided funding. F'rinstance, I'm sure that Carthage and Elmhurst spend more money on their webcasting software than does NPU. As you've probably noticed, we don't even have graphics ... which means that Rob and I have to constantly remember to keep updating the score and game clock on the air. What you're proposing is tantamount to the league saying, "OK, we now have a consistent standard ... which means that North Park needs to upgrade its software package to match that of Carthage and Elmhurst. And Illinois Wesleyan needs to upgrade from having no package at all." And I just don't see the league doing that kind of thing. The CCIW is not the sort of organization that imposes itself upon its member schools to that degree, especially in a climate in which many of its member schools are feeling economically pinched.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm not sure if any do at the moment. I've never really investigated it, as I'm a lot less likely to muster up the interest in seeing, say, an Augustana @ Carthage football game than I am an Augustana @ Carthage basketball game. But there doesn't seem to be any commentary on the CCIW football board from posters who don't live within traveling distance of the league about their having watched online games, so I'm guessing that nobody webcasts CCIW football games. If my guess is wrong, then it's likely either Wheaton or Carthage, or both, that offer it. North Park is probably going to add football to the menu of webcasted sports next season, alongside the currently-offered home men's soccer matches and home men's basketball games. So, for the comedians among you, go ahead and take this opportunity on the CCIW basketball board to crack wise about NPU football here.

Wheaton streams WETN football broadcasts.

Thanks, Bob. That makes sense, as Wheaton also broadcasts men's soccer matches. When you have your own in-house broadcasting network, it makes sense to use it for football games. Not that I'd ever watch a Wheaton football game, of course. Anything I need to know about a Wheaton football game I can read from Mugsy or USee.

I've since been told that Millikin webcasts football games as well.

[TitansIWU]

I won't continue to beat a dead theoretical horse, but if the league did not make a mandate, but rather spent some time showing the benefits of such a broadcast package, maybe all the schools would buy in and just join up.

Sometimes just the right people... proposing the right idea... at the right time, is all it takes.

Ok, that's all, I have to go assemble my long list of live stat links, broadcast links, other relevant websites and other stuff to follow the CCIW tonight.

[Gregory Sager]

Illinois Wesleyan 78
Millikin 53

[CCIWchamps]

A series of bad calls against Wheaton tonight, starting with uncalled over the backs and culminating with a blatant intentional foul in the back during a break away dunk attempt  whistled as a shooting foul.  I can't think of how nice it is to be bigger and stronger than every team you face, and then to get to rough them up on top of it.  Wheaton did not catch any breaks from the stripes tonight.   

[Gregory Sager]

Carthage 82
Elmhurst 63

[Gregory Sager]

North Central 71
North Park 60

[Gregory Sager]

Augustana 80
Wheaton 77

[augiefan]

Whew! That was too close for comfort.

[CCIWchamps]

Whew! That was too close for comfort.

And that's why any one of those 3 over the back calls turned free throw or the extra possession after an intentional foul might have made a difference.  Granted Wheaton might have shot better from the floor as well.   

[dahlby]

Enjoyed the Augie- Wheaton game. 2 very competative teams. Announcers did an ecellent job. Wish that more teams would video their games.

[Titan Q]

A series of bad calls against Wheaton tonight, starting with uncalled over the backs and culminating with a blatant intentional foul in the back during a break away dunk attempt  whistled as a shooting foul.  I can't think of how nice it is to be bigger and stronger than every team you face, and then to get to rough them up on top of it.  Wheaton did not catch any breaks from the stripes tonight.    

I watched the game on WETN as well, and really did not see those over-the-back fouls the WETN broadcasters made such a big deal out of.  To me, those simply looked like situations where Augustana players were taller.  I was also not sold on that Augie basket near the shot clock buzzer that they kept referring to as a blown call.  It was close, but I'd have to see it again.

The biggest call that went against Wheaton was the blatant intentional foul by Chris Anderson on Jon DeMoss.  Wheaton should have had the ball after those FT's.  It's hard to believe they did not call that...if that is not an intentional foul, I'm not sure what is.  (In the background of the screen, it seemed like tempers were really flaring between the Wheaton coaching staff and Augustana's...can anyone comment on what was going on there?)

I thought Augustana was clearly the better team.  They controlled the entire game, except for that little stretch right at the end where Wheaton got it down to 1.  I thought Troy Rorer was Augie's player of the game.  I have not seen a boxscore, but he knocked down a ton of FT's -- I know he is supposed to be a bad FT shooter, but he looked like Steve Alford at the line tonight.  Just a really pure-looking stroke.  Bryant Voiles hit 3 very big 3's in the 1st half as Augustana was taking command of the game.  He is a really good player.

Wheaton freshman Tyler Peters really made a terrible mistake late.  After a Wheaton basket cut it to 1 with about :40 to play, he intentionally fouled an Augustana player (DeSimone I think) -- not just fouled him when he did not need to, but did not even fake going for any part of the ball.  With :40 to play, down just 1, there was just no reason to do it.  

Wheaton fought hard, but this was really a physical mismatch.  As usual, Augustana is not a pretty team to watch, but they really make it hard on the opponent to get stuff done.

[Titan Q]

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


+/- Standings through 2/9
North Central +4
Augustana +3
Illinois Wesleyan +2
Wheaton +1
Carthage +0
North Park -2
Elmhurst -4
Millikin -4

(Usually takes +4 to win the title)

Saturday, 2/12
Carthage @ North Central
Elmhurst @ North Park
Illinois Wesleyan @ Wheaton
Augustana @ Millikin

[Titan Q]

Spots 1-4 outlook...

Augustana (10-1)
@ Millikin
@ North Central
@ Illinois Wesleyan

North Central (8-2)
vs Carthage
vs Illinois Wesleyan
@ Elmhurst
vs Augustana

Illinois Wesleyan (7-3)
@ Wheaton
@ North Central
vs North Park
vs Augustana

Wheaton (6-5*)
vs Illinois Wesleyan
@ Millikin
vs Elmhurst

Carthage (6-5)
@ North Central
@ North Park
vs Millikin


* Wheaton owns tie-breaker over Carthage