MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[The Roop]

Newsflash.............................

I doubt IWU is happy about anybody winning at their place.

Carthage has the talent to win at The Shirk. It's just a matter of them being able to play on the same page for 40 minutes. Don't over play on defense and you won't have to worry about many IWU runs.

[Titan Q]

Regarding the comments on the broadcast last night, I always try to remember what Art Kimball first told me 5 years ago about how he handled listener feedback...

"Q, never listen to 'em when they tell you how great you are, and never listen to 'em when they call you a horse's a$%."

[Titan Q]

As far as last night's IWU/Augie game goes, I thought it was pretty simple to analyze.  Augie's pressure defense just took the Titans out of everything - and I mean everything - they wanted to do in the 2nd Half.  IWU led 38-25 at the 18:01 mark of the 2nd.  From that point until the final horn, Augustana outscored the Titans 32-16.  From the 10:43 mark, when Cory Jones scored on a dunk, to 0:30 when Dauksas made a 19 footer, IWU did not score a field goal.  10+ minutes without a field goal at the Shirk Center with a senior-dominated team?

IWU turned it over 21 times.  The starting frontcourt of 6-6/210 Amelianovich, 6-7/210 Freeman, and 6-6/215 Jones had 0 assists and 11 turnovers.  Think about that for a second...0 assists and 11 turnovers.

IWU went 15-24 from the FT line...at home.  And lost by 3.

Jason Fisher probably played the best game of his career based on what he did defensively vs Rick Harrigan.  Harrigan was just 3-13 from the field, and at least 2 of those 3 makes were when Fisher was out of the game.  Fisher took Harrigan completely out of the game in the 1st Half...Harrigan did a better job getting involved by getting to the FT line in the 2nd.

If you would have told me 24 hours ago that IWU was going to hold Rick Harrigan to 15 points (10 under his average) and hold Augustana to 35.4% from the field, I would have guessed the Titans would win the game by 25 points.  IWU lost the ballgame on the offensive end where they turned it over an alarming number of times, missed FT's, and just had no one step up offensively. 

I credit Augustana's defense - Grey Giovanine's teams play the nastiest defense around year-in and year-out - but I'm also still scratching my head over the way IWU played.  Watching the Titans play, it seems like they're playing with the weight of the world on their shoulders.  They sure don't look like they're having any fun lately and that's a shame, because this group used to just go out and look like they loved playing basketball.

[Titan Q]

I felt last night was a "must win" game from an IWU standpoint in terms of winning the regular season title.  The hill is just too high to climb right now considering the schedule remaining.  From here, I think it is now just truly a "one game at a time" situation.  The goal has gotta be to just find a way to get back on track, win as many games and possible and finish in the Top 4, and get in position to make a run for the conference tournament title.  There is a pretty good chance - based on the fact that IWU still has to play a ton of tough games - that this group of Titans will go into the tourney on the outside looking in of the Pool C picture, needing to win the tournament to extend their collegiate basketball careers. 

I don't know what is going on with the Titans, but I've seen too many big wins out of this group to count 'em out of anything.  We'll see how it plays out.

[augie22]

Its funny looking at the posts and seeing people talk about the end of the year tourny.  That thing is going to be awesome no matter who is in it if people are already talking about it.  I think that a conference tourny will make the league that much better because teams in that fourth spot are going to be hunted for...makes for an even better CCIW?

[iwumichigander]

While Augie has a seemingly commanding lead with 0 losses; it still has to play through 4 games against #s 2 - 5.   Sunday's contest at Elmhurst is as huge to Augie as the win over IWU.  With everyone chatting about the current Top 4, I would not overlook Wheaton which has nothing to lose and everything to gain by going all out to get a shot at the CCIW tournament.

And, given the way the CCIW Top 5 have played in the conference to date with some narrow wins and losses -- I think anything is probable in the CCIW Tournament this year at this point in time.

[The Roop]

As impressive as their schedule is I think IWU really has to get it rolling again and now. @Augie, @NCC......... Probably gonna drop one of those. Not to mention the rest of the conference schedule. A stumble in the CCIW Tournament and they have 5 in region losses. No guaranteed Pool C there.

[79jaybird]

knarocky-- you are right.  Elm was ranked and Augie wasn't but as somebody else mentioned, Augie was picked right above EC in the preseason poll.
I hope and sincerely HOPE that each and every Bluejay fan gets their tushy to the game on Sunday.  This team needs support and being a Sunday Afternoon, there is a greater chance to get the student body to get to the game.  Good luck to both teams, hopefully we put up a crooked number next to Augie's L column. 

[maddog]

True Basketball Fan
"I totally agree, what the heck is going on down there in Bloomington?  What does the Titan Nation think of the coaching? "
I will venture into an area not many Titan fans have wanted to go in public because of the wins Trost has piled up over the years. But a whole lot of IWU fans, when talking in private,  are looking forward to the day when there is a new coach on the bench. I believe that coaching is the main reason the Titans are struggling so bad. Trost is pretty good at preparing a team  for the start of the game, but he is, and has been, very weak at in-game adjustments. He has had a good run of success over the past 4 years mainly due to the talent of his players. He has been a much better recruiter than a game coach. Now that the other coaches have seen him coach for a few years, they are making adjustments in their game plans that Trost has not been able to counter. He also lets his emotions dictate his substitutions at times and I think it hinders his decsion making.

[augiefan]

It's certainly premature to be talking about POY, COY or FOY. No one is more than half way through the conference season, and Wheaton is 2 games short of hal way. Let's at least wait until the end of the regular season to have that discussion.

Every coach in the conference, except Coach Trost, had IWU finishing first in the CCIW, and that was only because he couldn't vote for his own team. As I recall the d3hoops preseason poll had IWU number one in the country. I will honestly admit that I thought the rest of us would be playing for 2nd place, and that IWU might well go undefeated.

I think NCC has been the the most improved team to date. They were picked for 5th in the conference and are still a big contender for the title with so many home games remaining. After a horrible nonconference season Wheaton is really looking dangerous. It didn't seem possible to me that a Bill Harris team wouldn't be competitive, and it appears that I was correct. Augie has also exceeded expectations, particularly given how many good teams there are in the CCIW this year. Elmhurst has performed as expected as have Millikin and NP. The underachievers are IWU and Carthage, but then again there is a lot of basketball remaining.

I appreciate hearing from CCIWatcher, but I reserve my right to be the Lou Holtz of the Augie fans. Obviously, Watcher hasn't visited enough to know I really don't have negative thoughts about Augie, but like Lou I like to lull the opposition into a false sense of security when competing against Augie. In that vein I feel bad for the Vikings have to play a great Elmhurst team after a big win at IWU. I doubt the Vikings can get up for another big one so soon after last night's heroics.

I encourage Augie fans to show up en masse on Sunday in Elmhurst. I sure Elmhurst will be well represented, and I fear the fans of the other 6 CCIW teams attending the game will not be exactly neutral given Augie's record to date.

[augiefan]

I'll join the group of Titan Q admirers. I thought he did a fine job last night. As IWU's No. 1 fan it had to be a panful duty to watch the Titans lose such a big game, but he was really professional throughout the broadcast.

As to April I encourage you to order tourney tickets. If Wheaton doesn't make it, we can make you an honorary Augie Viking.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Despite my earlier misgivings about the conference tourney, I'm with Q!  (Though I think the Titans are a fairly safe bet for a C even if they don't make a comeback for the A.)

Barring a TOTAL meltdown by NCC or Elmhurst this weekend, the CCIW will have FOUR teams in the top 25 next week.  Anyone think THREE Cs are even remotely possible, or is that a total pipedream for those who envision a REAL national tourney?

When is the Green Nation going to bar Ypsi from making predictions??

Undefeated in the CCIW -- Ummm, no
Win at home vs. Augie by 18 -- Ummm, no
Titans are a fairly safe bet for a C -- Ummmm, yet to be determined.

The Green Nation must rise up and stop Mr. Ypsi's bad mojo from derailing what was once thought of as a Green train bound for NCAA DIII Hoops gloryland.

Et tu, mwunder-brute'?!

The Green Nation won't have to stop me - I'm done!!  I STILL think that position-by-position, IWU has the most talented team in the country, but something ain't working.  And my pool C prediction came despite the fact I have dealt with the in-region nonsense for several years now, but completely forgot that most of the Titans' 'big' wins simply don't exist as far as the selection committee is concerned.  I still THINK they'll make it, but the confidence level is way down.

I WILL still make two predictions elsewhere in the conference (having screwed up the Titans with my bad mojo, I better see if I can screw up the opposition! : unless Elmhurst is totally blown out on Sunday, there will be 4 CCIW teams in the top 25 next week; and IF Augie does win that game (even narrowly), they will receive SOME #1 votes.

[Gregory Sager]

As to April I encourage you to order tourney tickets. If Wheaton doesn't make it, we can make you an honorary Augie Viking.

Given April's outcries after several of the Augustana vs. Wheaton rugby scrums games played during her stay in Belushiville, I'm pretty sure that she considers "honorary Augie Viking" to be an oxymoron.  

When is the Green Nation going to bar Ypsi from making predictions??

Undefeated in the CCIW -- Ummm, no
Win at home vs. Augie by 18 -- Ummm, no
Titans are a fairly safe bet for a C -- Ummmm, yet to be determined.

The Green Nation must rise up and stop Mr. Ypsi's bad mojo from derailing what was once thought of as a Green train bound for NCAA DIII Hoops gloryland.

Et tu, mwunder-brute'?!

The Green Nation won't have to stop me - I'm done!!

That sudden gust of northerly wind that just rattled my windows must've been the huge sigh of relief cast by the entire city of Bloomington, Illinois. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Alright, Greg,

Fifteen yard penalty for piling on!

(Oops, wrong sport.)

[Stat]

YPSI,   Do you like Pitt-4  or Sea +4?

One word response will do.

Will compensate you with that case I owe KM.