MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Sounds about like the level of Pantagraph accuracy these days!  Just kidding, Randy . . . just kidding. 

There's corn in Manito?

IWU70

[kiko]

It's the year of the Cardinal. 

[iwu70]

Dream on, Kiko.  I guess if it's not the Year of the Titans, the Cardinals or Thunder will do.  Pretty sure there's no D3 team name for the Year of the Snake, Monkey or Okapi, right?   Normal has it's Cornbelters, so I guess there is corn in Manito afterall.

Randy or Q, as the Pgraph is blocked here now, any word on Brady Zimmer playing vs. MU, or being held back to play vs. NCC in the final game of the season?  All shall be revealed soon enough . . . I know.

IWU70

[Titan Q]

Updated CCIW efficiency numbers (through 12 games)...

Offensive efficiency (pts per 100 poss.)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: 115.4
2. Wheaton: 106.2
3. Augustana: 105.4
4. North Central: 101.3
5. Carthage: 94.5
6. Millikin: 92.0
7. North Park: 91.2
8. Millikin: 92.0

Defensive efficiency (opponent pts per 100 poss)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: 87.4
2. North Central: 89.3
3. Augustana: 94.9
4. Wheaton: 96.5
5. Carthage: 98.2
6. Millikin: 101.1
7. Elmhurst: 105.5
8. North Park: 117.8

Total efficiency (differential per 100 poss.)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: +28.0
2. North Central: +12.0
3. Augustana: +10.5
4. Wheaton: +9.7
5. Carthage: -3.7
6. Millikin: -9.2
7. Elmhurst: -18.4
8. North Park: -26.6


Happy Snake year to all chatsters.

[Kovo]

Updated CCIW efficiency numbers (through 12 games)...

Offensive efficiency (pts per 100 poss.)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: 115.4
2. Wheaton: 106.2
3. Augustana: 105.4
4. North Central: 101.3
5. Carthage: 94.5
6. Millikin: 92.0
7. North Park: 91.2





8. Millikin: 92.0

Defensive efficiency (opponent pts per 100 poss)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: 87.4
2. North Central: 89.3
3. Augustana: 94.9
4. Wheaton: 96.5
5. Carthage: 98.2
6. Millikin: 101.1
7. Elmhurst: 105.5
8. North Park: 117.8

Total efficiency (differential per 100 poss.)
1. Illinois Wesleyan: +28.0
2. North Central: +12.0
3. Augustana: +10.5
4. Wheaton: +9.7
5. Carthage: -3.7
6. Millikin: -9.2
7. Elmhurst: -18.4
8. North Park: -26.6


Happy Snake year to all chatsters.

Thanks for the info Q.  Those numbers jump off the page.  I guess that when your total effciency is more than double your nearest competitor, you are in for a great (and maybe undefeated) conference season.  And, while I am not looking past NP, I am anxiously awaiting the NC/IWU contest in Naperville.

Any thoughts out there on how far the CCIW teams can go in the NCAA tournament?  I have to think that IWU's goal is the title.  What is a realistic goal for NC or Wheaton?  What if Augie makes the field?  How far can they go?  I recognize it depends on the brackets and opponents, but I would like to hear the collective wisdom of the board.

[Titan Q]

Any thoughts out there on how far the CCIW teams can go in the NCAA tournament?  I have to think that IWU's goal is the title.  What is a realistic goal for NC or Wheaton?  What if Augie makes the field?  How far can they go?  I recognize it depends on the brackets and opponents, but I would like to hear the collective wisdom of the board.

I think both IWU and North Central have legitimate chances of a deep NCAA tournament run.  I see these two teams as extremely close, all things considered...slight advantage to IWU.  Both are good enough to get to Salem (rounds 4-5), and from there anything can happen.

I think Wheaton is a tier behind due to lack of inside/outside balance, but Wheaton can beat anybody in Division III if they're making perimeter shots.  At some point in the tournament though I think that reliance on the perimeter game will hurt the Thunder.

I see Augie a tier behind Wheaton.  A deep NCAA run would really surprise me.  (And as we have already discussed, Augie needs the AQ to get in.)

[iwu70]

Agree with Q, as usual, and think IWU and NCC have a good chance for deep runs this year, especially if NCC can get everyone healthy and ready to go for the Dance.  IWU will benefit as well if Brady Zimmer gets back to health and full-time action.  Will depend on the bracket, how early you have to play some of the stronger teams, especially from the WIAC or Wash U.  Usual story, usual likely mactchups in round 3 or 4.  Stronger traditional programs always seem to be there by Sweet 16 or Elite 8.  I'd expect to see it again.   I'd love to see a rematch of the IWU-Wash U game earlier as I think both teams have improved, especially IWU is just a totally different, more confident, efficient, more error free, and complete team than when they played earlier. 

WC has been up and down, inconsistent in ways, but if you get hot at the right time (like IWU last year), lots of good stuff can happen.  Three wins and you are to Salem this year, right?

I don't expect AC to make the field or to win a game in the CCIW tournament.  Can't see them, if they come to the Shirk, beating IWU at home, given the run the Titans are on right now.  We'll see.  Soon it will be one (loss) and done, for everyone.  No margins for an off-night shooting, or a bad performance getting you through.  Most of the teams in the D3 tournament will be pretty good, so you'd better be ready bigtime to play, each game, one by one by one.  Your form or run coming in don't matter that much, it's what you do on the night, each game.  I'm sure Ron Rose will have the Titans ready for this, if his past record is any guide.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Happy Snake year to all chatsters.

And, while I am not looking past NP, I am anxiously awaiting the NC/IWU contest in Naperville.

Why not? NPU has shown absolutely no indication that it can give a healthy NCC team a game, especially in the airplane hangar. Note the qualifying adjective "healthy" -- NPU hung around with the Cardinals in the first meeting at the crackerbox, but we all know how depleted the Napervillains were in that game due to injuries to Tiknis, Gamble, and Raridon.

Any thoughts out there on how far the CCIW teams can go in the NCAA tournament?  I have to think that IWU's goal is the title.  What is a realistic goal for NC or Wheaton?  What if Augie makes the field?  How far can they go?  I recognize it depends on the brackets and opponents, but I would like to hear the collective wisdom of the board.

Any CCIW team's goal should be the title, year in and year out. Even if Augie pulls off a double upset in Blo-No and garners the CCIW's Pool A berth, the Rock Islanders should still be thinking "Atlanta" just as much as the other three teams will be thinking it. The CCIW is not only a grind filled with good teams that produces D3 tourney entrants who shouldn't be fazed by anybody, it's also a circuit that produces a winning mentality in the teams that do well in it. There's a sort of swagger that comes with being a first-division CCIW team that counts for something in terms of a March confidence level.

Having said that, I agree with Bob's assessment. Wesleyan and North Central have the best potential to go deep into the tourney. Wheaton's going to need no off-nights from outside -- and no off-nights from Nate Haynes, who is his team's bread and butter underneath the basket -- in order to get to Salem, much less Atlanta, while Augie, if it does pull off that double upset, will be a longshot to get past the first two rounds. In fact, Augie would likely be a road underdog in the opening-round game.

[Titan Q]

Big UAA game tipping at 7:00pm CST - Wash U @ NYU.  Kenny Albert on the call...

http://www.gonyuathletics.com/news/2013/2/13/TEARITUP_0213132823.aspx

[iwu70]

Guess it best to cheer for NYU, though surely an "out of region" game.   It's a strange league with Friday/Sunday games. 

IWU70

[Titan Q]

Final from the Big Apple...

NYU 86
Wash U 82

Wash U came into this game 8-3 in the UAA and NYU 3-8, so even though a road game I assume this would have to be considered an upset.

All in-region losses at this stage are big, and this one certainly was for the Bears.

[blue_jays]

Guess it best to cheer for NYU, though surely an "out of region" game.   It's a strange league with Friday/Sunday games. 

IWU70

Friday/Sunday games are necessities due to travel in the UAA. They need that Saturday when they have to fly out to NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.

[Titan Q]

Guess it best to cheer for NYU, though surely an "out of region" game.   It's a strange league with Friday/Sunday games. 

IWU70

http://static.psbin.com/w/6/qxppu7z1rkr1ta/2013_Pre_Championship_DIII_Men-s_Basketball.pdf

Pages 17-18...

In-region competition is defined as:
1. All competition within an institution's defined region.
2. All competition within a 200-mile radius from one institution to another.
3. All competition within an institution's membership geographical region. The country is divided into four membership regions as listed below. For most institutions this should result in an expanded list of potential in-region opponents than in the past.
4. All conference games.

[iwumichigander]

Prior tonight's  game, NYU was 1-7 since Jan 18 loss to --- Wash U.  NYU only win in that stretch --- over Rochester Feb 1.  I just had a feeling about this one.

[iwu70]

Ahh, then, all the more reason we cheered for NYU to put a loss on Wash U.  In this case, playing in Greenwich Village is an "in region" loss for Wash U.  Thank you, Mssr. Q.  I'm not a lazy poster, I'm just ill-informed.

Pgraph piece on Kevin Reed's wonderful game, IWU career, and senior night with Dan Oswald, says, in a trailing paragraph, that Zimmer is better and will likely see some action vs. Millikin on Saturday.  Would be oh so lovely to have Brady back and fully healthy, able to slash and to stretch defenses with his trey shooting.   Hope he's healthy for the CCIW tourney and the DIII dance to follow.

Congrats to Kevin Reed and Dan Oswald on Senior Night, and for their excellent and dedicated Titan careers.

IWU70