MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

A long time since this has happened - with NPU's win and Wheaton's loss, the Thunder are now all alone in last place.  My guess would be that that has not happened in several decades.

[WUPHF]

Wheaton had two opportunities to take a two possession lead at the line, but missed the front end of the 1 and 1 on both opportunities.

The Erwin Henry layup from Jack Burchett gave North Central a 63-62 lead and the Cardinals held on to win.

[markerickson]

After having attended NPU's victory over NCC, thinking Augie's trees would rout NPU...so what are the odds that a longtime doormat NPU would consecutively defeat ranked opponents?  So my wife and I went to a movie (Whiplash) and dinner.  Upon arriving home safely, I checked to see if I could see the end of the webcast.  I missed the game, but listened to Gregory Sager's recap.

Since Wheaton is now in last place and NPU has two conference victories, Bosko's team is currently avoiding 7th place.  Ummm, has Wheaton ever failed to qualify for the CCIW tourney?

[Gotberg]

After having attended NPU's victory over NCC, thinking Augie's trees would rout NPU...so what are the odds that a longtime doormat NPU would consecutively defeat ranked opponents?  So my wife and I went to a movie (Whiplash) and dinner.  Upon arriving home safely, I checked to see if I could see the end of the webcast.  I missed the game, but listened to Gregory Sager's recap.

Since Wheaton is now in last place and NPU has two conference victories, Bosko's team is currently avoiding 7th place.  Ummm, has Wheaton ever failed to qualify for the CCIW tourney?

NPU has 3 conference victories.

[AppletonRocks]

After having attended NPU's victory over NCC, thinking Augie's trees would rout NPU...so what are the odds that a longtime doormat NPU would consecutively defeat ranked opponents?  So my wife and I went to a movie (Whiplash) and dinner.  Upon arriving home safely, I checked to see if I could see the end of the webcast.  I missed the game, but listened to Gregory Sager's recap.

Since Wheaton is now in last place and NPU has two conference victories, Bosko's team is currently avoiding 7th place.  Ummm, has Wheaton ever failed to qualify for the CCIW tourney?

Everyone needs a doormat.   

[iwumichigander]

A long time since this has happened - with NPU's win and Wheaton's loss, the Thunder are now all alone in last place.  My guess would be that that has not happened in several decades.

Since 1947 (as far as published online CCIW records), Wheaton has never finished last! Since 1947' Wheaton finished next to last five times.
Note: Wheaton was not in CCIW '60-'68.

[kenoshamark]

I attended the game tonight at Carthage.   Truthfully, this one was over about 5 minutes in when IWU had already built a 16 point lead.  It grew from there and was 22 at half.  IWU was very liberal in their substitutions throughout the game and I don't believe anyone played over 25 minutes 

Carthage did make a few runs late in the game, but IWU always had an answer.   If not for some poor foul shooting and some ill-advised entry passes to the post that created turnovers, this one would have stayed around a 17 - 20 point game to then end.  A late 3 by Carthage made the difference only 12....it just wasn't that close.

IWU was incredibly hot to start the game and got all kinds of open look threes.  Carthage played better defense in the second half, but they sure weren't ready to defend to start the game.

These guys play hard, but really difficult to watch the product on the floor compared to the past.  The good teams in this league reload, that just isn't happening at Carthage and I don't see a quick turnaround with the players they have coming back. 

Box shows a crowd of 625....this game used to draw four times that many people.  Seems the local crowd is gravitating over to Wisconsin Parkside where they are a top 20 team in D2 (and just knocked off the #1 team in the nation).   

Quardell Young just keeps tearing it up for Wisconsin Whitewater....here was a Kenosha kid that went to the same high school as Steve D.   Still wonder if he was ever considered at Carthage.  Frankly, the same could be said for Wisconsin Parkside.  Glad to see him do so well, I remember him being a really nice kid.

[Viking Blue]

I've been the PA guy at North Park's games for close to 20 years.  Decided to take this year (and possibly several more) off for a myriad of reasons.  I now work with a member of the 85 and 87 national championship teams.  This win will certainly bring a smile to his face.  I hope the marketing campaign I saw on the NP site led to some actual fannies in seats.  The environment in the Crackerbox has been lacking for sure, to say the least.

Great win, fellas.  Nice to have something to post about again.

[Gregory Sager]

On Thursday afternoon, with the flush of the road win over Carthage the night before fading, the Vikings entered the gym for practice. I'm sure that there was some trepidation, because they had only two days to prepare for an Augustana team that not only led the CCIW and was ranked fourth in the nation, but which had trounced NPU to the tune of 88-51 in Rock Island three weeks earlier.

Tom Slyder walked into the gym, gathered the team around him, and said, "Guys, today we're going bowling."

And so the team piled into school vans, rode over to Lincoln Square Lanes, and spent a couple of hours knocking down some pins, drinking some pop and eating chips, and having fun. (For those who may be wondering, Daniel Muresu, one of the twins from Stockholm who plays on the JV team, had high game with a 203. We've now identified one more sport at which Swedes are good: bowling.)

I ran into NPU athletic director Jack Surridge outside the gym on Thursday afternoon, and he was already aware of the extremely unusual itinerary Tom had set up for his team's practice that day. I said to Jack, "This is either sheer madness or sheer genius."

Tonight North Park defeated Augustana, 76-69, in a game in which, as Mr. B said, the Park led for all forty minutes.

Basketball, ladies and gentlemen, is a game that's played between the ears.

[Mr. Ypsi]

A long time since this has happened - with NPU's win and Wheaton's loss, the Thunder are now all alone in last place.  My guess would be that that has not happened in several decades.

Since 1947 (as far as published online CCIW records), Wheaton has never finished last! Since 1947' Wheaton finished next to last five times.
Note: Wheaton was not in CCIW '60-'68.

Of course, Wheaton has not yet finished in last place.  I just can't ever remember them being alone in last at any point of a season.

[Gregory Sager]

I've been the PA guy at North Park's games for close to 20 years.  Decided to take this year (and possibly several more) off for a myriad of reasons.  I now work with a member of the 85 and 87 national championship teams.  This win will certainly bring a smile to his face.  I hope the marketing campaign I saw on the NP site led to some actual fannies in seats.  The environment in the Crackerbox has been lacking for sure, to say the least.

Great win, fellas.  Nice to have something to post about again.

Nice to have you back, TD!

The listed attendance was 301, but I suspect that it was higher than that. The NPU student section, which is the corner of the gym that concerns me the most in terms of actual fannies in the seats, was full (if not jam-packed full). They didn't make much noise until late in the game -- I'm not sure that this generation of North Park students knows how to make noise at an NPU sporting event that doesn't involve kicking a round ball rather than dribbling one -- but they were on their feet and in full throat by the end of the game.

As I said last Saturday, I just wish that they'd 86 the "overrated" cheer. I really, really hate that cheer. Don't cut the legs out from under your own team by lessening their accomplishment.

[mr_b]

Tom Slyder walked into the gym, gathered the team around him, and said, "Guys, today we're going bowling."

And so the team piled into school vans, rode over to Lincoln Square Lanes, and spent a couple of hours knocking down some pins, drinking some pop and eating chips, and having fun.... Basketball, ladies and gentlemen, is a game that's played between the ears.

That might explain the early scoring run North Park had, going up by double figures.  The Foster Avenue Vikings played loose. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Tom Slyder walked into the gym, gathered the team around him, and said, "Guys, today we're going bowling."

And so the team piled into school vans, rode over to Lincoln Square Lanes, and spent a couple of hours knocking down some pins, drinking some pop and eating chips, and having fun.... Basketball, ladies and gentlemen, is a game that's played between the ears.

That might explain the early scoring run North Park had, going up by double figures.  The Foster Avenue Vikings played loose.

Apparently VERY few gutter balls this evening!

[Titan Q]

IWU 77
Carthage 65

http://www.iwusports.com/news/2015/1/31/MBB_0131151238.aspx

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/titans-shoot-past-carthage-share-cciw-lead/article_ccb1b9d7-14a0-5e68-8092-385a82db1757.html

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2015/1/31/Mens_Basketball_0131153833.aspx

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_skinned.php?s=711&c=3911&f=3937703

* Jordan Nelson: 15 points (5-9 3-point)
* Dylan Overstreet: 14 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
* Joel Pennington: 12 points, 2 rebounds
* Pat Sodemann: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

11 minutes in, IWU led this game by 20 (30-10) and it was pretty much over from there.  When the Titans are making perimeter shots, they are just really hard to beat.  Tonight was one of those nights.

This IWU team plays like all Ron Rose IWU teams - the Titans pass it really well and always have 5 guys on the floor who can score.  And they are very deep, playing 10 and not really ever having a huge drop-off when players come off the bench.

Jordan Nelson was very good again for the Titans.  Dylan Overstreet clearly is the guy who makes IWU tick, but Nelson is a great player and a tremendous weapon.  He's IWU's leading scorer in CCIW play (15.3 ppg) and is 32-67 (.478) from beyond the arc...and it seems like most of those are either NBA range bombs, or heavily guarded where he has to shot fake, dribble, and create just a bit of daylight to get his shot off.  He is just such a pure shooter of the basketball.

All road wins are big and this one certainly felt like it to me.

[GoPerry]

Wheaton had two opportunities to take a two possession lead at the line, but missed the front end of the 1 and 1 on both opportunities.

The Erwin Henry layup from Jack Burchett gave North Central a 63-62 lead and the Cardinals held on to win.

Wow, same story.  Just not able to hit that big shot or, now, the key free throws to grab a win.  I was not able to see the game but agonized through LiveStats.  Does anyone know if NCC has "On Demand" capability so I can re-live the gut wrenching?  Or should I simply shove toothpicks under my fingernails and be done with it?

For anyone who watched, was the DeMoss shot at the end of the game a good look or a contested desperation sort of thing?

And wonder why Moten only played 10 mins?

Since Wheaton is now in last place and NPU has two conference victories, Bosko's team is currently avoiding 7th place.  Ummm, has Wheaton ever failed to qualify for the CCIW tourney?

Yes.  They did not get in the very first year whenever that was 8 or 9 years ago.

Congrats to NPU on the big win.  But what's nice about it (I think) is that while it is definitely an upset, I doubt many of us are that surprised right?  I didn't expect it necessarily but I'm certainly not shocked. 

The other side of the WC loss/ NCC win is that it really gives the Cardinals the inside track for #4 and it'd be really nice to see Millikin or NPU make their debut in the conference tourney.  It can still happen but I think they'd have to get to 7-7 (at least) and hope for the tie-breaker which means 4-1 the rest of the way and they still play each other again.  But this year who the heck knows?