MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[True Basketball Fan]

I didn't see the IWU - Augie game last night, but I've seen Augie plenty of times over the last few years.  Coach G's teams are always physical, and they do hold a lot (and so does Scherer's teams, and Bosko's, and Harris's, and also Trost's)  

I've also seen IWU play many times over the last few years, even at the Shirk.  If opposing teams hold and grab too much vs. IWU, they have no doubt been whistled for that.  NO team, I believe, has come into the Shirk the past few years and got away with holding and grabbing guys.  IWU has All-Americans and they get those calls, especially at home.

My point is.........Augie must have played just physical enough to not get whistled for too many fouls (IWU shot only 14 FT's, I think).  Great job!

Also, Congrats to Augie on how they are doing thus far in the league.  They have definitely proved to be the team to reckon with this year in the CCIW.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I hate to bring this up, but at one point do we question whether the two IWU All-Americans will still be on the first team at the end of the year?

I know Dauksas is playing fantastically and Keelan is still shooting nearly 50% from three, but at what point do you have to say maybe some "unknowns" on Augie or any other "suprise" teams might be better candidates because of their team success and their contributions to it?

Please note the quotation marks before being angered by my post.

Again, I am not denying the incredible ability of the IWU players.  They have exhibited great talent for years.

I'll probably still get berated, but its a discussion I think would be interesting.  Who have been the best players in the CCIW this year, who are potential All-americans?

[armywife]

The fact is, Q is IWU's announcer calling a game at home. Given those facts, I expected him to be biased. He wasn't. He did a great job.

I told my third graders that I got up at 3:30 am to listen to and watch a basketball game on my computer and none of them would believe me. I never did convince them.

[matblake]

Classic, armywife!  Kids are notorious for being surprised at anything "cool" that adults do, unless those adults are on TV or in movies.

[True Basketball Fan]

I am a bit surprised not to hear comments about the in game coaching at IWU.
With all the talented "All Americans" on that team, would seem to be a topic for conversation.
When I shut the broadcast off, the Greenies had a double digit lead.

I totally agree, what the heck is going on down there in Bloomington?  What does the Titan Nation think of the coaching?

[matblake]

Ok, back to basketball.  This conference is so great.  I admit that I don't really know the first thing about finding stats or the past of the CCIW (before 1992).  However, this season has been great.  A competitive conference where most every game means something.  Awesome, awesome stuff.  Congrats to Augie and Elmhurst for their big wins.  I have to be impressed too with Wheaton so far.  I was expecting wins to be few and far between and to be competitive in this league so far has been great for the Thunder.

[Gregory Sager]

I think it's absolutely remarkable that Elmhurst and North Central have now played four overtime games in their last seven meetings. Augustana @ Illinois Wesleyan was the glamorous matchup last night, but it sounds as though the best game to watch was the one in the western suburbs.

A few thoughts:

* The one knock on Chris Martin's game in the past was that he was an inconsistent shooter from long range. Well, in the past ten days he's torpedoed both Illinois Wesleyan and North Central primarily with his trey shooting rather than his customary drives to the basket or transition play. In both games he went 5-10 from downtown, and his trey with 38 seconds left in OT last night was the game's deciding basket. He's shooting a respectable .425 from long range this season, .415 in CCIW play (which puts him in the conference's top ten). Looks as though he's found that final missing ingredient.

* 20 points for Elmhurst's freshman center Brent Ruch in the airplane hangar? Yikes.

* Whoever mentioned that North Central doesn't have much of a bench raised an interesting point. Do they? Todd Raridon appears to be Bill Harris, Jr. in that he doesn't like to play a deep rotation. Only seven Cardinals played last night, one of them for only four minutes. Guards Adam Teising and Ray Vicario played the entire 45 minutes, and Adam Krumtinger played 44. The five starters and Chris Drennan all average at least 20 minutes per game; Bob Valker (who didn't play last night) averages 12, and then nobody else averages more than seven -- and those other guys all have at least four DNPs, and most have a lot more than that. Is this very tight rotation going to become a cause for concern for Cardinals fans?

* I certainly have my issues with Grey Giovanine, but you have to hand it to the guy: He gets results. How many other coaches can say that they put that kind of a lockdown on this particular bunch of Titans? Allowing 54 points and a 37.8% shooting percentage to a team that came into the game averaging 78.5 ppg and 51.2% from the field ... that's just sick defense. Kudos to the Doggies, and to Giovanine.

* Interesting how the worm turns. For months the chatter about the inevitability of Wesleyan steamrollering everyone in their path was incessant. Then North Central upended the Titans on the first night of the CCIW season, and the talk shifted to, "Well, the Titans will still most likely win it, but if anyone can give them a run it's the Cardinals." And now as the first round-robin draws to a close and teams prepare to face each other for the second time on the return lap around the league, the standings find both Wesleyan and North Central three games out in the loss column behind Augie. It's enough to make me wonder if there aren't even more surprises left in store between now and the finish line.

* I still like Wesleyan's chances in the inaugural CCIW tourney, as I think they're the best-suited candidate to win road games on back-to-back nights, but they look like a longshot to win even a share of the CCIW title now. North Central, too. Each would almost certainly need to run the table and then get help from a couple of other teams in dragging Augie down to the three-loss level in order for it to happen.

* Augustana @ Elmhurst could go a long way to determining whether or not anyone besides Augie has a shot at the title. If I'm a Titans or Cardinals fan, I clear my schedule for Sunday afternoon, find something sky blue (not navy blue) in the closet to wear, and head over to Faganel Hall to cheer my lungs out for Mark Scherer's boys.

[Pat Coleman]

I just want to be the one that doesn't kiss up to the almighty titan Q.  Unfortunately I didn't get to listen to your "wonderful" broadcast because I got to watch Augie beat the almighty titans in person ...

If you didn't listen then you can't really have an opinion on what it said, I'm pretty sure.

I actually thought Q did a good job as well. Listen, folks, there are two levels of homers. The lowest is the homer that won't acknowledge when the opponent makes an impressive play, that sounds depressed when the other team makes a big basket, who sounds audibly beaten in defeat, etc. That's not how Bob sounded last night.

I'm not a big fan of "we" either, but the home team's radio has a tendency to say that all over the country.

If you think this job is so easy, why don't you broadcast Augustana games? Nobody else did last night.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

This isn't the same Titan team that beat Puget Sound

I agree with the sentiment that this is still the same IWU team that was so highly touted, but please stop assuming UPS is a big win.  They are proving themselves to not be a top 25 team; the voters just haven't' gotten the news yet.

[devildog29]

If Puget Sound is not a quality team, I think it's fair to say that this is not the same team that beat St. Xavier, or Westmont, or anyone in the non-conference season for that matter.  I made a comment earlier in the season that the Titans seemed to realize this was the last chance they have at showing how "special" they could be by heading to Salem.  They seemed to be so focused and weren't going to let anyone stop them.  Then the conference season started and that attitude seems to have disappeared.  Watching the game last night, I didn't see the look of confidence in them.  They didn't have that, we're the best team in the country and we have two first team all-Americans look to them.  It was almost an 'oh my god we're seniors and we still haven't won it' instead of a 'we're seniors and no doubt we're going to win it this year."  I don't know if I'm making any sense at all, but there was just no killer instinct in the Titans.  Two all-Americans and a top 5 ranked team with a bunch of seniors don't let their team commit 21 turnovers, miss a bunch of free-throws, and blow a 13 point 2nd half lead.  That being said, congrats to Augie, as they deserve a lot the credit for those stats.  But still, IWU needs to start being the real Tiger they showed at the beginning of the year instead of the paper Tiger they are acting like right now.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Pressure seems to be a valid reason in this case.

[redmen1]

Who is the best player in the CCIW right now? Who gets best coach?

[r.w. mcnickels]

From a fan of the Centennial Conference (a bit different brand of basketball than you guys are used to seeing ) I enjoyed the webcast last night.  The Shirk Center sounded and looked like an exciting place.  Augustana certainly looked like a poised and well-coached team worthy of a top-5 ranking.

I'd like to see Hopkins, F&M, or Ursinus make a trip out to your area some year for a holiday tournament or something, just to see how they stack up.  Anyway, best of luck the rest of the way in the CCIW.

[Brick]

Pat that is not true the WAUG radio station was at the game last night and DID broadcast the game...They probably just didnt' let you know that they were doing it. 

As for the questions about IWU's all americans I do think it is a valid question, I too would like to know what the green nation has to think about it. 

As for best player and coach in the confrence right now I would have to say (homer pick or not) it's gotta be Harrigan and Coach G from Augie.

[Stat]

MY, The Green Nation is quite again.

Bosko and Jeffries, for an answer to bests.

Yes, not in top 25.

That picture of DP was scary, then again people tell me  I am Jerry Wainwrights twin.