MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[dansand]

I'd say the ONLY way Elmhurst has a chance for a C is if they now start a 7-game winning streak (and even that MIGHT not be enough).  They'd better concentrate on making the tourney and winning te A.

I haven't seen the game-by-game stats (and stats don't always tell the whole truth), but it seems like Chris Martin's two worst games have been against Augie.  Dennis seems to feel that at least today it was a lackadaisical Chris - would others who have any knowledge on the subject say it is more CM or a tribute to Augie's defense?

If it IS more Chris Martin, I would tend to view him in the category of Jon Steven - a guy with the talent to be POY but who might get punished by the coaches and not even make first-team CCIW.

I obviously didn't see the game today, but I saw the matchup in Rock Island and I watched the stream from Bloomington this week and it's apparent that Nate Swetalla is turning into this year's defensive stopper. So far he's done a great job on some of the league's best #3 players (Martin, Amelianovich and Walton). Those three have combined for 11.3 ppg on 35% shooting in four games versus Augie. Players that good aren't going to be stopped by one guy, but Swetalla has had the primary responsibility and has done pretty well.

The CCIW Player of the Week for January 23-29, averaging 6.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists is...Nate Swetalla. I think that speaks volumes about just how good he's been on defense, especially last week (Oh, the put back with 4 seconds left to beat the Bluejays probably helped, too).

By the way, at  #5 in the latest poll (No, I don't think they should have been #1), that's the highest they've been in a national poll, to the best of my memory, since the 1981-82 season when they spent four weeks at #1 (I'm not sure whether it was the NABC poll or one of the news services').
The '92-93 national runner-up team was 14th in the final regular season NABC poll. I'm pretty sure that at 19-6 that was about as high as they got.

[augiefan]

Coach G's in game conduct is embarrassing at times. I certainly wish he was more restrained, but he is who is, and it looks like the CCIW is stuck with him for awhile.

Dennis just can't restrain himself, when it comes to trashing Augie at least once per year and Coach G in particular. I personally find it diificult to work up a hate for any DIII program, which unlike D! has real student athletes playing for the love of the game and with very few prima donnas. On the other hand as a U of I fan, it's easy to work up a little vitriole towards the University of Iowa BB team dating back to the Bruce Pearl era.

This is probably the best coaching job of Coach G's career at Augie. This team is not remarkably better than IWU, NNC and Elmhurst. Perhaps the difference is not only the Swetalla brothers but also their father, who is a new assistant coach at Augie.

In most leagues the POY and All Conference teams are picked before the conference tournament. I believe it will be the same for the CCIW.

By the way the officials were fine yesterday. Augie won this one fair and square in a pretty consistently officiated game.

Go Augie !!!!

[dansand]

Actually, augiefan, this is Ray Swetalla's third year at Augie. And I agree wholeheartedly about Bruce Pearl.

[Stat]

You know, that is a good point: Augie is not remarkably better than IWU.

We were bomabarded all summer and fall with the "All American" talent of the greenies.  While they have not put up, there is no saying that they can't win the tournament and get to Salem..  However, at his pt., they are a major disappointment for this point of the season.
Look at the 2 teams:

COACHING IS THE DIFFERENCE!

[Stat]

Oh, and Dan, you look incredibly credible with a remote in your hand.

[Stat]

And, how do I get my picture up on this site?

[dansand]

Stat,

I could be wrong, but I think it has to be a picture on the world wide web somewhere.  If there's a picture of ya on the web, I can explain how to do it. Mine (if, indeed, that really is me) is from my employer's website. I know it's shameless self-promotion, but why should King Dennis and April be the only ones to get their 15 minutes .

[augiefan]

Thanks Dansand for the clarification on Coach Swetalla. And here I thought Augie pulled a Danny Manning and hired a coach to get his talented sons to transfer to Augie.

By the way Dan you don't look like any Libertarian I've ever met, but Dennis P. certainly looks like a guy who faithfully watches the 700 Club. It's perceptions like that which keep most of us from posting our photos. Of course, the lovely, devout, articulate and youthful April is the exception to the rule.

[dansand]

You mean there are actually other Libertarians? 

[augiefan]

They are a rare breed, but not yet on the endangered species list.

[Stat]

I did vote libertarian once. I lost.

I think if you can scan a picture, save it, then download to this site, it works.

Pat, where are you?

[Pat Coleman]

On deadline at USA Today.

You have to have an image on the web. Copy the address of the image itself (NOT the page it's on) and put it in the appropriate place on your profile.

[Brick]

Well it's good to see some of the augie faithful around to support coach G...and his antics!  Personally he makes the games funny to watch...esp. when you can take over unders for when his jacket is going to come off....for Wed. Night the over under is at 5 min....

[Gregory Sager]

Dan, good post this morning about the All-CCIW first team. I think you nailed it.

Augie22, great post about the reffing in the CCIW. I think we're pretty fortunate to have the caliber of officiating that we have in this league. Don't get me wrong, I spend just as much time yelling at the refs as anyone during an NPU game. But on balance I think that our conference's pool of refs is very solid.

Another thing I want to mention in that regard is that one of the reasons why I consider CCIW Chat a cut above other rooms on Posting Up is the fact that we don't make a habit out of lambasting refs in here over this call or that non-call after every game. I really get tired of all the chronic ref-bashing that goes on in other rooms. It brings some of the best rooms down a peg in my estimation (the WIAC and MIAA rooms, for instance, where it's frequently open season on the refs after a close game). Heck, in the MWC room ref-bashing is practically a sacrament.

It's not simply a matter of everyone in here approving of our conference referee pool, or that every regular in here's able to leave behind a bad call or non-call in a close loss once he's left the gym and is sitting in front of the computer at home. I think it's just a matter of acknowledging that refereeing basketball is incredibly difficult, particularly in a league that tends to the physical such as ours, and that calls and non-calls are part of the human element of the game rather than a conspiracy to elevate one team or suppress another.

Chuck, sorry I missed the posters poll deadline again. I'm still having trouble with my PC at work, and I just haven't had the time to turn on the computer here at home over the past couple of days. This is my first time on this site all day.

[augievike93]

  Personally he makes the games funny to watch...esp. when you can take over unders for when his jacket is going to come off....for Wed. Night the over under is at 5 min....

We would do the same thing when Yount was the coach.  Speaking of which, for ye who prefer not to hear a coach during the free throws.  Which would you prefer...A) Coach G coaching his team while the other team takes their free throws or B) Coach Yount's wife yelling from the stands through the whole game? 

Me? I'm happy with either.  Boy there was nothing funnier than watching Mrs. Y holding one of their little boys on one hip as a toddler yelling at the refs.  That was some serious support for the spouse!