MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Pat Coleman]

I'm going the other direction: 135. What makes you guys think they're any good at playing defense?

[Titan Q]

The North Central/Illinois Tech boxscore...

http://northcentralcardinals.com/custompages/MBK/MBK1213/mbk001.htm

NCC started:

G - Brandon Williams, 6-1 Jr
G - Vince Kmiec, 6-4 Jr
F - Derek Raridon, 6-6 Sr
F - Aaron Tiknis, 6-6 Sr
F - Jack Burchett, 6-6 So

Preseason All-American Landon Gamble played just 9 minutes off the bench.

[Titan Q]

The Pantagraph article on IWU's ugly win over Coe...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/wesleyan-men-get-one-point-victory-over-coe/article_8353e114-3079-11e2-bff1-001a4bcf887a.html

"I've been told to never apologize for a win, but this is really testing that statement," Rose said. "What we could do wrong, we did do wrong.


The three free throws Mike Mayberger had with IWU down 2 and :07 remaining were the first 3 FTAs of his college career.

IWU faces Loras at 4:00pm today.  Millikin vs Coe tips at 2:00pm.

[Titan Q]

Loras starters...

G - Connor Mooney, 5-10 Sr
G - Aaron Schueller, 6-0 So
F - Nathaniel Smith, 6-4 So
F - Alex Cline, 6-6 Jr
C - Ryan Coon, 6-7 Jr

[Mr. Ypsi]

Loras starters...

G - Connor Mooney, 5-10 Sr
G - Aaron Schueller, 6-0 So
F - Nathaniel Smith, 6-4 So
F - Alex Cline, 6-6 Jr
C - Ryan Coon, 6-7 Jr

Coon is not an extremely rare name, but it ain't exactly Smith, either.   Any known relation to Titan great Korey Coon?

[AndOne]

The IWU boxscore...

http://www.iwusports.com/custompages/MBB/MBB2013/HTML/tip2.htm


I should also mention that IWU's defense is very good...especially when Eric Dortch is on the floor guarding the perimeter.  That was the one bright spot tonight.  The defense kept them in this game.

Good defense, but a surprisingly low shooting percentage. Good Coe defense also? I think of IWU as a good rebounding team so, although it was only by one, I was also surprised to see them be out rebounded. I suspect Victor Davis had his worst game of the year. He is just a much better player than evidenced by last night's stats. 

[AndOne]

Halftime:

North Central 48
Illinois Tech 4

http://www.sidearmstats.com/ncc/mbball/scoreboard.aspx


Would love to get to that College of Faith/Illinois Tech game tomorrow.

What's your over/under on combined score for Faith/IIT tomorrow, Bob?

40.

I'll take IIT and give you 5. 

I'm going the other direction: 135. What makes you guys think they're any good at playing defense?

Well, the 40 was somewhat jokingly arrived at by adding the 2 teams scores from last night.
"What makes you guys think they're any good at playing defense?" is a valid question, but a correspondingly valid question is what makes you think they can shoot? 

[Titan Q]

The IWU boxscore...

http://www.iwusports.com/custompages/MBB/MBB2013/HTML/tip2.htm


I should also mention that IWU's defense is very good...especially when Eric Dortch is on the floor guarding the perimeter.  That was the one bright spot tonight.  The defense kept them in this game.

Good defense, but a surprisingly low shooting percentage. Good Coe defense also? I think of IWU as a good rebounding team so, although it was only by one, I was also surprised to see them be out rebounded. I suspect Victor Davis had his worst game of the year. He is just a much better player than evidenced by last night's stats.

It was an extremely physical game.  The officials seems to let them play -- it was one of those grind-it-out, rag-tag type of games.

IWU did not rebound particularly well - got beat to a number of long rebounds.  And the Titans certainly did not shoot it well from the perimeter.  Some good shooters had good looks and just couldn't make anything.  Had the Titans been able to convert on some pretty routine shots in the 1st half, and throughout the game, they would have opened up an 8-10 point lead.

As far as Victor Davis goes, last night was his first game as the IWU player that opposing defenses key on, and with a new perimeter group that is trying to put it together.  He was double teamed immediately most of the game.  Last year, with Jordan Zimmer out on the wing, Davis got to work one-on-one most of the time.  Davis got a number of good shots last night around the baskets - his usual jump hooks, etc - but just didn't convert.  Victor will have an adjustment to go through in the non-conference season, learning how to play as a primary scoring threat.  I think we'll see him have some big games.

This IWU team is clearly a work in progress.  As Ron Rose told me when I interviewed him for the preview piece:

"A year ago the key was getting our post players to mesh with the returning perimeter players," said Rose.  "This year it's just reversed – the key is getting our perimeter players in sync with the returning post players.  How quickly we do that so we can have that inside/outside game again that puts opponets in a quandary is the key.  We have very capable perimeter players, we just don't have a lot of experience there.  We're also moving some guys to different positions to what they played a year ago."

From watching last night, it's clear this process is going to take some time.  I do think the Titans have the perimeter personnel to get it done (even without the injured guys - Molinari, Zimmer, Sodemann), but everyone playing out there is either brand new to varsity time (Overstreet, Nelms, Oswald, Mayberger), or brand new to to their position (Dortch).  Nelms shot an air ball with his first college 3-point attempt...Overstreet went to the line in the 1st half and clanked 2 FTs.  Just looked like a lot of first game nerves out there. 

Hoping the Titans play better today.  They are far from the #8 team in Division III right now, but I think we'll see them start the put things together as the non-conf plays out.  What their ceiling is as a team is something I'm not quite sure about yet - I need to watch them more.

[Titan Q]

A player that stood out to me last night for IWU was 6-8 sophomore PF Parker Musselman.  He is very talented - big body, but extremely skilled.  Soft touch on his shot and a terrific passer.  He has a chance to be a a really good player in time.

[iwu70]

Q and others have commented on last night's Shirk Center offerings.  I'll add a bit more as an interested observer . . . my impressions:

On Loras and Millikin:

This is a game MU should have won.  The final was 78-76 Loras.  It seems to me that Coach Nadelhoffer is well on his way to returning MU to some sort of respectable level, even in CCIW play.  MU will not be a "gimmy", even this year.   Whilst both of these teams are, IMHO, not very strong as yet, this is a game that MU could have and should have won. The coach is obviously pressing his almost all freshmen charges to take D very seriously and they played pretty well on D.  He started five freshmen (Kinmon, Griffin, Robbins, Owens and Wilfer) and the first four in the rotation were also all freshmen. (Of course, his entire roster is almostly ALL freshmen).   His new players have every chance to be pretty good CCIW players, in time, perhaps not so much this year, but surely very soon.  I was impressed with Jaylon Owens, a wide-bodied 4 with a nice touch from outside, also the PG TJ Griffin (with real quickness, good court sense, esp. for a freshmen) and Chase Robbins, the 2, wing player from Normal Community.  They all played well.  The best of the rotation/subs by far was Deavis Johnson, a long 6-6 wing, from East St. Louis who had an excellent game on D, making plays, steals, dunking three times, playing with aggression.  I liked all these players and they will be much much better as time goes by, as they gain confidence, perhaps get some wins.  Time will tell.  But, I hope all clubs around the CCIW take note that MU is clearly improving . . . though we'll have to see how much progress they can make this season with all these freshmen.  My view is that they will make some real progress.  Again, IMHO.

On the Titans-Coe game: 

Yes, IWU did not deserve to win this game, but, as always, we'll take it.  The Titans played tight, played poorly, shot it badly, even had weak even interior D, and had few bright spots.  Yes, they hung in, stayed close and got a lucky win with the foul on Mayberger beyond the arc attempting the trey with 7 seconds to go.  Coe is a strong, quick, good team, so you have to give them credit, though they made a few crucial errors, turnovers in the final minutes and then the fatal error of fouling Mayberger.  To his credit, Mayberger stepped up, even after being chilled by a TimeOut and swished cleanly three FTs.  Q is right about the few bright spots of this first-game performance.  Here are mine:

*  Zman (yes, my season moniker for Andrew Ziemnik) played like all the Titans should be playing.  Hitting shots, rebounding, playing tough D, moving well.
*  Overstreet had a pretty decent game really, as his first at the PG.  He will improve, relax and score more.  We need some scoring though from Nelms and Oswald.
*  Dortch was, as usual, playing very tough D, and flying all over on offense, scoring some, blocking shots, though he cramped up in the latter part of the 2nd half.  He will get better and better at the 2 or the 3.  Love his hustle, his speed and ups. 
*  Q is right about Musselman.  I've been saying the same since mid-season last year, that he has great skill, balance, range of shots, and excellent passing.
*  Reed was Reed, making some plays, put-backs, driving, moving . . . contributing as he does consistently with rebounds and about 10 points. 
*  Anderson gave decent minutes, will continue to contribute and improve.  He's playing tougher, angrier, and is obviously focused.  Great to see.

What can you say?, Davis played badly, looked like he was a freshman again.  Hard to figure that one out.  Hope he got it out of his system for the season.

I was surprised to see Mayberger on the floor as much as he was, esp. at crunch time, but, then again, Mike proved his coach's judgement correct and hit the most important, the only FTs, of his Titan career and with them won a game to get the season off to a winning start.  Basketball, it's an odd game and sometimes the most surprising players step up and do the job.  My congrats to Mike.  I'm very happy for him.  He's a great guy. 

If the Titans continue to play like last night, we will lose many a game this season . . . 10 games or more.  If we return to a higher percentage shooting, make decent % of FTs, and bring the overall rotational flow into greater sync, this team has a pretty high potential.  Coe was not a cupcake, not a Faith game.  So we'll take the W and not apologize.  Perhaps, sometimes, the overall season hinges on something lucky, something nice early on.  Let's see how the Titans play and improve tonight vs. Loras.

If this is an experimenting time, due to last night's performances, perhaps Ron Rose starts a different lineup tonight:

Overstreet
Dortch
Zman
Musselman
Anderson

Just say'in.

More experimentation and more fun to come, no doubt.

Zimmer played 1 minute at the end of the first half and looked out of sync, not yet ready for the speed of this game.

Titans, clearly a work in progress.

IWU70

[D-3 watcher]

70 you need to get off that stuff, whatever it is you are on, Davis is going to start, and if the titans are going to be any good, he is going to be why. I think and hope we will get better, but if all the guys were healthy, we would still have no exsperance at the guard spots. Let's not use injuries as an excuse. Got to much of that last year, as to why North Central lost some games early last year. We like they did last year have to much other talented players to step up. I do agree that if we play like that, it could be a long year.

[Gregory Sager]

Calvin 83
NPU 54

Zach Cassita: 14 pts
Ryan Hyrn: 13 pts
Mark Holmes: 12 pts
Aaron Weaver: 8 rebs

NPU shot only 33% for the game and was almost doubled up on the boards, 47-24. Calvin was up by only 29-25 with 4:40 to play in the first half, and the Knights went on a 14-0 run to close out the half. NPU was pretty much done at that point.

This one went about as I expected, although I was disappointed that the Vikings never made even the merest hint of a run in the second half. Calvin is a solid, efficient team. NPU is a team with some holes ... and a lot of guys who should be wearing JV uniforms rather than varsity uniforms at this point.

[Gregory Sager]

Coe 67
Millikin 60

T.J. Griffin: 18 pts
Chase Robbins: 17 pts
Deavis Johnson: 9 rebs

MU legitimately hung around in this one. It was a 10-point game at the half, and the lead varied between 7 and 12 for most of the second half. The Big Blue did get it down to four points with about twelve minutes left.

[Gregory Sager]

Carroll 75
Carthage 74

Luke Johnson: 21 pts
Kevin Sykes: 14 pts
Reese Herth: 12 pts

Carroll converted a three-point play with :15 left to win its home tourney. The Red Men were up by 10 with three minutes and change left, and they still led by six with a minute and a half to go.

Looks like a very statistically even game.

[Titan Q]

Final...

IWU 75
Loras 63

* Mike Mayberger: 18 pts (4-5 3-point)
* Dylan Overstreet: 13 pts, 2 reb, 3 assists
* Victor Davis: 11 pts, 3 reb