MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

The amazing thing about this massacre is that it could actually be much worse. Wash U has left a bunch of points at the rim via layups and tip-ins that should've gone down.

Meanwhile, Millikin and Westminster (MO) are playing a very competitive game in Missouri. I'm tempted to watch it, but it's hard to take your eyes off of a basketball team as impressive as the Bears.

[jaybird44]

Yes, Kucera is excellent, too.  Perhaps he and Sanders are the two players Wash-U can ill afford to lose.

That said, the other pieces of the puzzle have been excellent.  Knupp is a consistent 3-point threat, in addition to his ability to drive and play defense.  Very encouraging to see the bench become very productive, with Jack Nolan fueling that...and Matt Highsmith has found his shooting stroke after being around 25% early in the season.  David Schmelter is playing well inside too. 

A team that could make a deep postseason run...but there are lots of games to sift through before those thoughts can be entertained.

[iwu70]

Tip your hat to WASH U.  They are very good.  Final at The Shirk -- Wash U 95 IWU 69.  A very poor shooting day for the Titans, very effective offense and good D by the Bears.  Get this one out of your system quickly and move on to the next one in Chicago.  The season waits for no team. 

Kucera is really good, sees the floor beautifully.  Noland and Highsmith also great shooting nights.  Wash U is big, has all the pieces on the perimeter too.  They should go far in March.  Well-coached as usual, by Coach Edwards.

A very disappointing performance by the TITANS tonight.

IWU'70

[Gregory Sager]

Millikin fell at Westminster (MO), 88-74. The game got away from the Big Blue in the second half. Jimmy Millikin totally dominated the boards against the smaller Blue Jays (41-24), but turned the ball over 25 times. Some of those turnovers came against a pretty good press, but a lot of them were in the halfcourt. Jordan Cunningham had a 17 and 11 double-double, while Zach Fisher (13), DeVante Harrell (12), and Korbin Farmer (11) also reached double figures for the Big Blue.

[iwumichigander]

95-69 WashU over IWU In a game from about the 10 minute 1st half mark the Bears rarely missed and the Titans could not make a bucket. This did not change in the second half.  IWU did their best in likely helping several Bears hit season or career highs.  This Bears team is really good but not this good.  Titans had little,or no energy this afternoon.

[Gregory Sager]

Loras @ Carroll is just starting the second half. CCIW fans might want to check this out, since former Carthage starting PG Jordan Kedrowski is playing his first game as a collegian since leaving Kenosha. He's now a Duhawk, and this is his first appearance of the season.

[Titan Q]

It was 20-20 at 11:27.  Wash U's run to close the 1st half was 38-13.  And the run when factoring into the 2nd half ended up being 51-13.  Pretty crazy.

This was sort of like the Augie at IWU game in the regular season finale last year in, but obviously in reverse for the Titans. Similar in that it's hard to even explain how the game played out. I am confident the separation between these two teams is not what the game today showed.

Wash U, 1) dominated the boards, and 2) shot lights out.  IWU got man-handled physically around the basket, and on the defensive end couldn't begin to stop the Wash U offense.  I thought the Titans did a poor job of getting the ball inside from the start of the game...but a lot of that is due to Wash U's size.  That's by far the biggest team IWU has played.

I also think IWU panicked a bit when Wash U started pulling away.  When the Bears got up 6, 8, 10, etc...not a lot of composure and some bad decision making.  I expected the Titans to come right back with a run to get within a basket...but that run never came.  Just an avalanche of points from the Bears.

The Titans with 2 more UAA teams coming up - Chicago and Emory.  They'll need win both of those.

Wash U has all of the pieces to win a national championship.  The Bears are not as good as they looked today (like, best team ever good), but they are very, very talented.

Wash U freshman guard Jack Nolan, recruited hard by IWU too, is going to be a 1st Team All-American by his junior year.  He is a stud.

[all blues]

Millikin fell at Westminster (MO), 88-74. The game got away from the Big Blue in the second half. Jimmy Millikin totally dominated the boards against the smaller Blue Jays (41-24), but turned the ball over 25 times. Some of those turnovers came against a pretty good press, but a lot of them were in the halfcourt. Jordan Cunningham had a 17 and 11 double-double, while Zach Fisher (13), DeVante Harrell (12), and Korbin Farmer (11) also reached double figures for the Big Blue.

FG, FGA, and 3s were virtually even, but Westminster made 6 more FT than Millikin ATTEMPTED, due to the 10 extra fouls the refs graciously gifted the visiting Blue; Welcome to Misery.  Fulton, Misery.  (JUST looking at stats; NOT meant as commentary on quality of officiating) 

[Gregory Sager]

Final from Van Male:

Loras 94
Carroll 85

The Duhawks were in control of this one throughout the second half of what turned into a foulapalooza. Tyler Ingebrightsen had a pretty nice day for the Pioneers with 24 points, including 10-10 from the FT line. Joel Heesch had 17 points and four steals, but he coughed up the ball six times. Incidentally, newly-minted Duhawk Jordan Kedrowski had 10 points and  three assists to only one turnover in 24 minutes of action. He's a nice midseason addition for Loras.

Ben Widdes is no longer on the roster for Carroll. He seems to have been removed within the last week or so, since he started the Millikin game eight days ago. Anybody know what happened to him? That's a big loss for the Pios.

[markerickson]

Colin Lake has led NP in scoring in 7/8 games this year.  Twice he has scored at least 50% of the team's points.  If I was an opposing coach, I would double team Mr. Lake b/c NP sorely lacks a solid second scorer.

I recognized Kevin Kucera's name and my search confirmed he is the KK I know from youth baseball and Loyola hoops.  His pre-HS baseball coaches always thought very highly of him, but he did not play baseball for the Ramblers.  I saw him on the hardcourt in HS, and never thought he would have an impact in college at the D3 level.  He probably weighed 140 pounds as a senior.  He had a good junior year at Wash U; now he is their captain.  Obviously, he has continuously improved.

Any comparative thoughts between Lake and Kucera?

[Gregory Sager]

Colin Lake has led NP in scoring in 7/8 games this year.  Twice he has scored at least 50% of the team's points.  If I was an opposing coach, I would double team Mr. Lake b/c NP sorely lacks a solid second scorer.

This is not news. Every opponent NPU has played has thrown double teams at Lake, some more than others.

I mentioned here on CCIW Chat in my recap of NPU's win on Saturday that Lake Forest threw a second man at Lake after he crossed the timeline for quite a bit of the earlier part of the game (although the game was in progress when I started watching it, as I was busy calling the NPU women's game when the men's game tipped off in Lake Forest), although the Foresters went away from it when Billy Kirby started bringing the ball up the floor. Once Lake was no longer the primary ballhandler coming up the floor, he really took off in terms of his scoring.

Any comparative thoughts between Lake and Kucera?

Apples and oranges.

[iwu70]

Kucera made it all go for Wash U -- tremendous passing.  Of course, they have great bigs, plenty of size in the paint, lots of shooters too.

'70

[iwu70]

The game upcoming Augie vs. Wash U should be a real interesting one.  My bet is on Wash U. 

'70

[WUPHF]

Trivia: who was the starting PG the last time Washington University won in Bloomington-Normal? And, how many points and assists did he finish with?  Answer: Sean Wallis, 8 points, 8 assists.

OK, as prone as I am to hyperbole, I am not ready to make that comparison, but this team does look more like the greatest generation than any other that I have seen.  This was among the best games the senior class has played.

This was my first time (and probably the last time) to make the road trip. Shirk is an impressive facility on an otherwise very impressive campus.  Not a lot of liberal arts colleges have two libraries.  Every building looks so new.

Unfortunately, the Memorial Gym was closed though I am not sure how much of the old gym is left.

[iwu70]

WUH, sorry you missed seeing the Memorial Gym, now the renovated Hansen Student Center, with performance area for concerts and presentations of all types, pub, shops, and offices -- for student affairs and Student Senate.  A real gem of a revitalization.  My Mother played volleyball there, my Dad almost flunked his required swimming test for graduation there -- pool in the basement then, where the lower level of the Bookstore is now -- and that floor is where Dennie Bridges got his start as a top IWU guard.  Those were the days, even before the era of Fred Young Fieldhouse.  I hope you get to see it the next time to campus.  We're very proud of the Shirk Center, a premier facility in D3 -- but those other venues had their history, their traditions too.  (I hope you got inside the amazing, beautiful Ames Library -- also one of the best in all of liberal arts education -- my home away from home when I'm working on the IWU campus!). 

Wash U really stuck it to us.  They look to be one of the top teams in the nation -- with a possible national title upcoming.  Really good.  My hat is off to them.  Coach Edwards always doing a fine job.  Perhaps, as in some past seasons, we'll have a chance for a re-match later on in the season, in the tournament.  The Titans have some work to do . . .

IWU'70