MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

I'm a huge Jordan Robinson fan because his versatility and efficiency are uncanny. He is currently 11th in the country in scoring, 2nd in the country in 3 pt percentage and top 100 in the country in rebounding. If he gets his rebound avg from 9.1/game to at least 10+/game, he not only gets my vote for 1st team All American, but also National Player of the Year.  Doing all of this averaging third on a the team 32 minutes/game.  Not sure why Slyder isn't using him a couple minutes more per, but it doesn't seem to be foul trouble since he's averaging under 3 per game. I'm sure part of it is how well they playing as a team overall,  and that depth may finally take them were they want to go, but eventually they will need, imo, the POY candidate on the floor a few more minutes/game. If he does I will definitely use my vote on him.  Unfortunately, I don't have a vote😉.

No, actually it is foul trouble that is suppressing Jordan Robinson's mpg average.  The reason why it's hard to discern that is because it's usually been foul trouble that has emerged on the front end of ballgames. Against Alma he picked up his second foul in the eighth minutes of the game and sat for the entire remaining twelve minutes until halftime. He thus finished with a mere 25 minutes played that night. Against Carroll he acquired foul #2 with 8:24 remaining in the first half, was pulled, and sat until intermission. He ended up playing 30 minutes.

Trine (also 30 minutes played) was an exception, as Tom Slyder sent his primary players to the bench relatively early in what had turned into a rout of the Thunder. But against Albion last Wednesday it was again a matter of foul trouble on Robinson's part, as he played only 23 minutes against the Brits. This time, as opposed to the Alma and Carroll games, it was second-half foul trouble, as he sat out stretches of roughly four minutes apiece after picking up first his third foul and then his fourth foul in the latter stanza. The encouraging thing, from NPU's standpoint, is that the Vikings gained six points, extending their lead from 12 to 18, during that first extended rest by Robinson, and only lost a single point, reducing their lead from 17 to 16, during his second extended rest.

[Mr. Ypsi]

The Central Region list above does not even include 6-1 Ripon (who led UWW by 8 at the half), Wash U, and the rest of the WIAC (by current record, the WORST team in the conference is UWSP at 5-3, who should NEVER be counted out, whatever their record).  Would it be fair to say that the only region which is even vaguely comparable to the Central in strength is the Northeast (NESCAC, Babson, etc.)?  (And while the Northeast may somewhat compare in strength at the top, I doubt they have the depth.)

Ypsi,

Given that the CCIW, WIAC & NESCAC are probably the 3 best conferences in the country, and the CCIW and WIAC are somehow in the same region, I think the answer to your question is that it would be very fair to say the only other region comparable to the Central is the NE. 

No and no, gentlemen.

Yes, the NESCAC is an outstanding league, easily one of the top five and arguably one of the top three in all of D3. And there's another league in the Northeast, the NEWMAC (home to Babson as well as to MIT, which was a Final Four outfit not too many years ago) that is also solid. But the Northeast, which is by far the most populous of the eight regions in D3, is also jam-packed to the gills with leagues that are the caliber of the SLIAC and the NACC. Not only does the Northeast lack the depth of the Central, as Chuck correctly surmised, but all of that dross (plus the NESCAC's single round-robin scheduling format) makes it much easier for the teams in that league to favorably construct schedules with an eye to OWP than is the case in the Central, where good CCIW and WIAC teams get dinged too often as a consequence for having to regularly play similarly top-notch competition. That's why national observers are always harping upon the "golden road" to Salem that the NESCAC's best gets to take every year (which doesn't erase the fact that the NESCAC rep as often as not proves itself worthy once it gets past the Mitchells and the Albertus Magnuses and the Colby-Sawyers of the world).

With the CCIW and the WIAC both in the Central Region, to say nothing of the likes of Benedictine, Chicago, Wash U, and St. Norbert, this region is hands-down the toughest in the nation.

Greg, agreed.  I just didn't want to sound TOO arrogant about the Central, so threw a bone to the Northeast.

Back when the ODAC was a top three conference, and this year with Whitman and Whitworth both top 10, the South and West MIGHT be reasonably comparable at the top, but once they put the CCIW and WIAC in the same region, the debate was over.

I think they should have fudged the geography just a tad and put the IIAC in the Central instead of the WIAC.  The Central would probably still have been the toughest region, but it wouldn't have been quite so lopsided.

[Gregory Sager]

Nobody mentioned this, but Carroll lost to Loras in northeastern Iowa last Thursday, 85-78. I was somewhat surprised by this, not simply because the Pioneers have been playing so well lately but because the Duhawks are such an up-and-down team. On the one hand, they've beaten two WIAC squads; on the other hand, they've been crushed by crosstown rival Dubuque, a team which otherwise hasn't gotten its act together yet this year, and barely beat freshmen-debut-laden Elmhurst in the first game of the season on a trey with two seconds left. The Duhawks also needed overtime to squeak past woebegone Luther.

As per usual, Carroll shot the lights out from downtown last Thursday (10-23, 44%) and shot better than 50% overall from the field. It appears that the Pios were undone by their inability to rebound; they lost the battle of the boards by seven, including a five-rebound edge on the offensive glass for the Duhawks. This was in spite of the fact that center Tyler Ingebrigtsen was back in action for the Pios. That 16 turnovers by Carroll ain't gonna get it done, either.

The CCIW is idle until Wednesday evening, when Wheaton will attempt to pour salt on the Banana Slugs in Vegas. Given that UCSC as usual has an uninspired record (5-8), I look for the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance to move two games above .500 with a win over the Slugs.

[4samuy]

I'm a huge Jordan Robinson fan because his versatility and efficiency are uncanny. He is currently 11th in the country in scoring, 2nd in the country in 3 pt percentage and top 100 in the country in rebounding. If he gets his rebound avg from 9.1/game to at least 10+/game, he not only gets my vote for 1st team All American, but also National Player of the Year.  Doing all of this averaging third on a the team 32 minutes/game.  Not sure why Slyder isn't using him a couple minutes more per, but it doesn't seem to be foul trouble since he's averaging under 3 per game. I'm sure part of it is how well they playing as a team overall,  and that depth may finally take them were they want to go, but eventually they will need, imo, the POY candidate on the floor a few more minutes/game. If he does I will definitely use my vote on him.  Unfortunately, I don't have a vote😉.

No, actually it is foul trouble that is suppressing Jordan Robinson's mpg average.  The reason why it's hard to discern that is because it's usually been foul trouble that has emerged on the front end of ballgames. Against Alma he picked up his second foul in the eighth minutes of the game and sat for the entire remaining twelve minutes until halftime. He thus finished with a mere 25 minutes played that night. Against Carroll he acquired foul #2 with 8:24 remaining in the first half, was pulled, and sat until intermission. He ended up playing 30 minutes.

Trine (also 30 minutes played) was an exception, as Tom Slyder sent his primary players to the bench relatively early in what had turned into a rout of the Thunder. But against Albion last Wednesday it was again a matter of foul trouble on Robinson's part, as he played only 23 minutes against the Brits. This time, as opposed to the Alma and Carroll games, it was second-half foul trouble, as he sat out stretches of roughly four minutes apiece after picking up first his third foul and then his fourth foul in the latter stanza. The encouraging thing, from NPU's standpoint, is that the Vikings gained six points, extending their lead from 12 to 18, during that first extended rest by Robinson, and only lost a single point, reducing their lead from 17 to 16, during his second extended rest.

Thanks for the clarification.  Obviously coaches know their players better than anyone as to how they react and play with early fouls, some even have strict rules that you sit the rest of the half once you commit your second foul.  In your opinion, is Jordan able to play thru and play effectively thru early foul trouble, or is it a Slyder "rule" that sits players until half once they've committed a certain number of first half fouls.

[Gregory Sager]

Thanks for the clarification.  Obviously coaches know their players better than anyone as to how they react and play with early fouls, some even have strict rules that you sit the rest of the half once you commit your second foul.  In your opinion, is Jordan able to play thru and play effectively thru early foul trouble, or is it a Slyder "rule" that sits players until half once they've committed a certain number of first half fouls.

Jordan has actually been pretty good this year at self-monitoring his play after picking up early fouls, but that hasn't always been the case. In each of his first two seasons he fouled out four times, and NPU lost five of those eight games; plus, he had plenty of games in which he racked up four fouls and thus had his defensive effectiveness hindered. Tom Slyder does tend to sit regulars once they log their second first-half foul, but he's probably more conscious of protecting Robinson, who is: a) the team's best rebounder; b) one of the team's top two scorers; and c) an undersized forward who is thus vulnerable to fouling if he's posted up by a bigger opponent.

[iwu70]

Very sorry to hear the news today that long-time IWU staff member, in various offices and functions, Harry Lovell, has passed away at the age of 80.  Harry was very active in many community groups, did work in development, admissions, and other areas.  He was a stalwart in the Illinois barbershop chorale, Sound of Illinois, for decades.  RIP, a great TITAN, Harry Lovell.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Wednesday's game
Wheaton (5-4) vs. UC-Santa Cruz (5-8) @ Las Vegas, NV

Thursday's games
Carroll (6-3) @ Dallas (3-5)
Elmhurst (4-6) @ Mary Hardin-Baylor (5-3)
North Central (8-3) @ UW-Stevens Point (5-3)
Middlebury (7-1) vs. Illinois Wesleyan (8-2) @ Staten Island, NY   
Calvin (4-5) vs. Millikin (1-8) @ Springfield, OH   

[Gregory Sager]

Given that there's nothing else to talk about, let's see what Ken Massey's cybernetic marvel has to say:

    6. North Park
  10. Illinois Wesleyan
  18. Augustana
  27. North Central
  48. Wheaton
  59. Carthage
  67. Carroll
113. Elmhurst
320. Millikin

Massey sez:

Wheaton 76, UC-Santa Cruz 65 (WC 85%, UCSC 15%)

Carroll 78, Dallas 68 (CU 83%, Dallas 17%)
Elmhurst 79, Mary Hardin-Baylor 78 (EC 52%, UMHB 48%)
UW-Stevens Point 66, North Central 62 (UWSP 62%, NCC 38%)
Illinois Wesleyan 77, Middlebury 71 (IWU 69%, Middlebury 31%)
Calvin 76, Millikin 66 (Calvin 82%, MU 18%)

I would not have predicted that Elmhurst @ Mary Hardin-Baylor would be the only nailbiter prognostication made by the HAL 9000, but there you go.

[USee]

The UWSP and Middlebury predictions aren't exactly blowouts.... 2 possession game is pretty close no?

[Gregory Sager]

Yeah, they're pretty close predictions, but I'm also looking at the percentages. The only game that's called closer than 60/40 is the EC @ UMHB game.

[AppletonRocks]

OK, i know its kind of an unwritten rule that you"re not supposed to bitch about Karma.
However, it's almost midnight on CHRISTMAS DAY/EVENING. I've been gone all day, and now get home and take a look at D3Hoops to see if anything exceedingly interesting transpired today, and notice someone felt the need to sign on sometime today, again Christmas Day, to smite me.
Did i post anything today to tick you off? No, this is the first time i've been on all day. Did i post anything yesterday to tick. you off? Nope, didn't do any posting yesterday either.
So, other that the fact that you're just a hate filled person and a complete jerk, what other reason could there possibly be that you felt the need to sign on on Christmas Day and smite me when I haven't even posted anything in the last two days? And, for quite a while before that, i don't think i insulted your mother, directed a racial, ethnic, or any other kind of hateful slur in your direction, or said the team you love is filled with rapists, murderers, or any other form of bottom-feeding scum.
So what, pray tell, filled you with such contempt, disgust, and/or hate that you felt the need to take time away from celebrating with your family and friends, or just relaxing and enjoying Christmas Day just to come on and smite me for no reason? The only possible reason i can think of is that you are nothing more than a hateful person who gets off by using any avenue available to you to build yourself up by putting others down. it's one thing to disagree with someone and tell them they are an idiot and why. it's quite another thing to sneak on here early in the morning or late at night, or even on Christmas Day to slam them without even telling them what you disagree with and why.
Anyway, I hope you had a nice Christmas, and that smiteing me somehow provided you with the joy that Christmas Day itself was evidently not capable of. doing. Lastly, I apologize for whatever I did to anger you to such a degree. Hopefully, being able to smite me today eased your pain, and filled your heart with joy and happiness. 

I just applauded you.  Hope you didn't jump off a bridge in the interim.   

[iwu70]

Any other takers on who you think will be the four teams in the CCIW tournament, come season's end?

Happy New Year all.

IWU'70

[lmitzel]

Any other takers on who you think will be the four teams in the CCIW tournament, come season's end?

Happy New Year all.

IWU'70

It's still pretty early. If you made me pick now, I'd probably end up putting North Park, North Central, Illinois Wesleyan, and Augie in, and not necessarily in that order, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Wheaton, Carroll, or Carthage sneak in. (And no, I didn't originally refer back down to the current Massey ratings before throwing those four teams out. ) We'll have to revisit this in about three weeks when everybody's played everybody else once.

[markerickson]

Like the talk a while ago regarding Jordan Robinson being "only" D3, why is Carthage's Brad Perry at a D3 school?  He's listed at 6'11" and has some beef.  He is currently averaging 11 ppg and nearly 7 rpg while getting 21 mpg.  He couldn't have been a sleeper while attending Maine South (IL).

[AppletonRocks]

Any other takers on who you think will be the four teams in the CCIW tournament, come season's end?

Happy New Year all.

IWU'70

Carroll
Carthage
NPU
Someone else--no one I feel is a threat to win it

The closer to Whitewater, the better the chances.