MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

I'm sure IWU helped him win the honor. 

'70

[GoPerry]

http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2017-18/week5

New poll out and I'm scratching my head at some of the movement.  A little more volatility in the holiday break poll I guess.

River Falls goes 1-0 and rises, actually jumps, from #8 to #3?  That strikes me as a lot of love going to the Falcons all of a sudden.

Ohio Wesleyan wins 1 and loses 1 (yes, to the #1 team) but rises 5 spots from #14 to #9.  You don't see that very much.

Whitworth goes 2-1, all at home, the loss to an unranked team, but only drops 1 spot from #7 to #8.

[kiko]

http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2017-18/week5

New poll out and I'm scratching my head at some of the movement.  A little more volatility in the holiday break poll I guess.

River Falls goes 1-0 and rises, actually jumps, from #8 to #3?  That strikes me as a lot of love going to the Falcons all of a sudden.

Ohio Wesleyan wins 1 and loses 1 (yes, to the #1 team) but rises 5 spots from #14 to #9.  You don't see that very much.

Whitworth goes 2-1, all at home, the loss to an unranked team, but only drops 1 spot from #7 to #8.

River Falls' ascent is pretty easy to explain in the broader context: the #2, #4, #5, #6, and #7 schools in the last poll all took losses.  Given that these were in some cases against the likes of Hamline (5-5, but a winner over then-#5 Williams) and Central (5-7, but a winner over then #6 Ramapo), those teams were bound to lose some altitude.  River Falls was the beneficiary in part because they didn't take a loss while everyone else around them did.  Whitewater rose for similar reasons.

Ohio Wesleyan's win was by 29 points over a ranked team (Ramapo), and they led #1 Whitman for much of the game before losing by two.  They jumped a few teams that took worse losses than this.

What surprises me, and in light of my recent posts, I should clarify that this is a serious and not a poke at our comrades from Bridgesville, is that Illinois Wesleyan is not in ORV-land.  I expect this will take care of itself in the time ahead, as the Titans will be in the hunt as things unfold, but I would have expected a random vote or two for the Green given others showing up in the long tail of the poll.

[Greek Tragedy]

http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/men/2017-18/week5

New poll out and I'm scratching my head at some of the movement.  A little more volatility in the holiday break poll I guess.

River Falls goes 1-0 and rises, actually jumps, from #8 to #3?  That strikes me as a lot of love going to the Falcons all of a sudden.

Ohio Wesleyan wins 1 and loses 1 (yes, to the #1 team) but rises 5 spots from #14 to #9.  You don't see that very much.

Whitworth goes 2-1, all at home, the loss to an unranked team, but only drops 1 spot from #7 to #8.

River Falls' ascent is pretty easy to explain in the broader context: the #2, #4, #5, #6, and #7 schools in the last poll all took losses.  Given that these were in some cases against the likes of Hamline (5-5, but a winner over then-#5 Williams) and Central (5-7, but a winner over then #6 Ramapo), those teams were bound to lose some altitude.  River Falls was the beneficiary in part because they didn't take a loss while everyone else around them did.  Whitewater rose for similar reasons.

Ohio Wesleyan's win was by 29 points over a ranked team (Ramapo), and they led #1 Whitman for much of the game before losing by two.  They jumped a few teams that took worse losses than this.

What surprises me, and in light of my recent posts, I should clarify that this is a serious and not a poke at our comrades from Bridgesville, is that Illinois Wesleyan is not in ORV-land.  I expect this will take care of itself in the time ahead, as the Titans will be in the hunt as things unfold, but I would have expected a random vote or two for the Green given others showing up in the long tail of the poll.

This is exactly the reasoning. It's not a vacuum. You have to look around and see what else is happening.

[iwu70]

Kiko, thanks for your kind hopes for IWU.  But, frankly, NCC is playing much better right now.  Yes, IWU at 9-3 might get to the ORV category, but they just haven't put it all together yet.  Let's hope soon.  They were beaten badly by Wash U and Emory, and had to struggle to get the win over Birmingham Southern.  The time is now for IWU to finally put it all together and to take advantage of the talent and depth they have.  Even as a shill, I'm not too optimistic.  As I said earlier, they could go 20-5 or 14-11 -- take your pick. 

IWU'70

[Titan Q]

Illinois Wesleyan (9-3, 2-1) vs #2-Augustana (10-1, 2-0), 7:00pm...

Illinois Wesleyan (9-3, 2-1)
G - Brady Rose, 6-3/185 Jr.  20.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.2 apg
G - Colin Bonnett, 6-4/190 Jr.  11.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.8 apg
G - Jason Gregoire, 6-4/195 Jr.  5.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.8 apg
F - Jaylen Beasley, 6-6/185 Sr.  8.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg
C - Alex O'Neill, 6-9/245 So.  8.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg

#2-Augustana (10-1, 2-0)
G - Nolan Ebel, 6-1/175 Jr.  13.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.3 apg
G - Chrishawn Orange, 6-2/180 Jr. 16.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.1 apg
G - Dylan Sortillo, 6/3/180 Sr.  12.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg
F - Brett Benning, 6-6/191 Jr. 7.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg
C - Micah Martin, 6-11/240 So. 6.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg

Pantagraph - http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/wesleyan-awaits-no-augustana/article_4f3610e0-b64e-5956-a0a0-0dd7ac738175.html

WJBC Radio - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wjbc/

Live Video/Stats - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/iwu/

[Gregory Sager]

Kiko, thanks for your kind hopes for IWU.

I don't think he said it in a charitable spirit. I doubt that he wishes the Titans well. I think that he was simply analyzing the poll and came to the objective conclusion that Illinois Wesleyan probably should've picked up a few stray votes and joined the stragglers at the end of the ORV category.

I tend to agree with him in this case. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that it wouldn't surprise me one tiny bit if Illinois Wesleyan beats Augustana tomorrow. I realize that Augie is playing very well right now and IWU isn't, but these things can change in a hurry.

I also think that there's a good chance that Carthage will come away with the win in the airplane hangar tomorrow night -- the Red Men are really talented, and I think somewhat lightly regarded, and Jordan Thomas just seems to keep getting better and better every game -- but the one thing that keeps me from picking the Red Men is what AndOne pointed out earlier, which is that the Cardinals sort of have their backs to the wall already after taking some unexpected losses early in the season.

[Pat Coleman]

Ohio Wesleyan wins 1 and loses 1 (yes, to the #1 team) but rises 5 spots from #14 to #9.  You don't see that very much.

I'd bet this happens at least once a year.

[kiko]

Kiko, thanks for your kind hopes for IWU.

I don't think he said it in a charitable spirit. I doubt that he wishes the Titans well. I think that he was simply analyzing the poll and came to the objective conclusion that Illinois Wesleyan probably should've picked up a few stray votes and joined the stragglers at the end of the ORV category.

This is correct.  I really only root for one school (well, CalTech also, but that's more charity than anything else...)  But that's a good basketball team down in Shirkland.

I also think that there's a good chance that Carthage will come away with the win in the airplane hangar tomorrow night -- the Red Men are really talented, and I think somewhat lightly regarded, and Jordan Thomas just seems to keep getting better and better every game -- but the one thing that keeps me from picking the Red Men is what AndOne pointed out earlier, which is that the Cardinals sort of have their backs to the wall already after taking some unexpected losses early in the season.

Carthage is anything but a gimme, and is uncomfortably below-the-radar at this point in the season.  The Sons of Warden need to bring their A-game tomorrow evening.

---

ETA: This is probably a good time to say "look quickly... CalTech currently sits atop the SCIAC!"

[iwu70]

I'll be watching.  I hope Greg is right and somehow IWU pulls the upset. It will have to be a big turn around. 

Very interested in the CC-NCC game.  Would be something if NCC would go 1-3 at this point in the conference season.  That would be a surprise for sure.

'70

[voxelmhurst]

The EC Bluejays have another all-avian contest tonight against the Eagles of Edgewood College. If this isn't the first ever game between two men's teams, it is the first matchup in a long, long time. I don't ever remember seeing Edgewood on the Elmhurst schedule.

Projected EC Starting 5
G - Jake Rhode 15.5 ppg 5.4 apg
G - Ryan Patton 10.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
G/F - Derek Dotlich 11.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F - Lavon Thomas 9.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg
F/C - Jeremy Ireland 15.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg

EC was led by their starters in their two wins in Oregon last week. With teams looking to double down on Rhode and Ireland, it only makes sense that more opportunities will be created for Patton, Thomas and Dotlich. Also of note, seldom used 6-7 Jr. Pavlos Marakis got the most minutes of his EC career last week in Oregon, and did very nicely (4 points, 8 boards, 2 assists in 17 mins vs Pacific, 6 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, block, & steal in 15 mins vs Willamette). Will be interested to see if he gets more regular minutes in the games to come. He could be a great backup to Ireland if those numbers continue.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park has added three new players to the roster. One is Jarrod Coleman, a 6'3 sophomore forward who spent the 2013-14 season playing JV for Carthage. Like Elmhurst's Pat Coleman and NPU's Aaron Coleman, Jarrod is a North Chicago HS alumnus who is part of the extended family of North Chicago head coach Gerald Coleman. (Jarrod's dad, Jarrod Coleman, Sr., was an outstanding player for Illinois State back in the late '80s.) Another is Josh Washburn, a 5'10 sophomore guard from Indian Hills HS in Kenosha. Last season he played D2 ball for Minnesota-Duluth, appearing in 23 games for the Bulldogs and starting three of them. He averaged 2.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, and 1.3 apg. Finally, there's Quinn Williams, a 5'8 sophomore guard from Mount Vernon HS in the Indianapolis suburbs. He averaged 9.7 ppg in his previous season of college ball, playing for Joliet JC in 2012-13.

I don't have a good read on the game that I'll be calling this evening. I've watched parts of two Millikin games, and I still don't have a feel for the Big Blue, most likely because so many of the important players for MU in Mark Scherer's first season are new to the program. As for NPU, I was encouraged by how well the Vikings played in Kentucky, beating a fairly decent Guilford team and taking a very strong Emory & Henry team right down to the final seconds before succumbing. I'm nevertheless well aware that the Vikings have shortcomings in terms of youth, a reliable low-post presence, and finding scoring from people other than Colin Lake and Billy Kirby. But two things I've noticed are that they are definitely making a tangible progression as individuals and as a team as the season has gone on, and that Tom Slyder is doing an outstanding job in the X's and O's department in putting them in the best position to succeed. I'm just continuing to keep my expectations modest.

[robertthebruce50]

I am looking forward to tonight's game between Augie and Illinois Wesleyan. It's gonna be a fight to the finish. I know that Washington University beat Illinois Weslyan badly this year and Augie beat Washington University Badly this year. But, whenever these two schools meet it is always a war. IWU beat Augie by a wide margin in the final game last year at the Shirk. Augie is going to remember that Beatdown. Believe me, Illinois Wesleyan will be ready to play this evening and Augie will certainly not overlook them. Go Augie!!

[iwu70]

IWU taking it to Augie, 39-25 at the half.  Again, let's hope Greg was right. 

'70

[kiko]

... and for the 941st consecutive year, no CCIW team will run the table in the regular season as Augie falls in Bloomington tonight.