MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[markerickson]

North Park had its lowest scoring output of the year, and the starters accounted for a mere 31 points in tonight's game at Carroll.  Carroll.  Did some polar vortex blow each Viking attempt slightly askew?  Coach Slyder has some serious recruiting in front of him before sliding into Peterson-era patheticness.

[Titan Q]

Huge road wins last night by Augustana (at Elmhurst) and Wheaton (at Carthage).  Those were two very losable games for the road/contender team.  Those are the kind of games you have to find a way to win if you're going to win the league.

[voxelmhurst]

Augustana 90
Elmhurst 80

Nolan Ebel: 24 pts, 4 assists, 3 rebs
Crishawn Orange: 18 pts, 5 assists, 7 rebs
Dylan Sortillo: 14 pts, 6 rebounds
Brett Benning: 12 pts

Jake Rhode: 22 pts, 3 assists,
Jeremy Ireland: 17 pts, 2 steals/assists/rebs
Lance Gardner: 13 pts, 4 rebs/assists, 2 steals
Derek Dotlich: 11 pts

After shooting a staggering 70.8% from the field (75% (9-12) from downtown) in the first half, Augustana led 54-41. Elmhurst fought back in the second half, and was able to erase the deficit and even take a 73-70 lead with under 8 minutes remaining, highlighted by a Lance Gardner steal and breakaway dunk that had the RA Fanagel crowd very pleased. Elmhurst led 75-73 with just over 6 minutes to go, but an Augie offensive rebound led to the Vikings evening up the game at 75, before Elmhurst doomed themselves by committing 3 turnovers on their next 3 possessions. Augustana then chipped away at the FT line and got the 10 point victory.

Overall I thought Elmhurst played well, they moved the ball around well (20 assists) and shot over 50% on the night. Despite the crucial turnovers late, they committed just 11 all game. Augustana did outrebound EC, 31-22. Augustana simply played like a Top 10 nationally ranked team, especially in the first half, and Elmhurst is probably just a year away from being able to turn some of these tough CCIW losses into wins.

Elmhurst is now 10-6, 3-4 in CCIW. Another home game vs NCC on Saturday.

[blue_jays]

IWU 78
Millikin 62

http://www.iwusports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=5214&path=mbball

* Brady Rose: 30 pts, 3 reb, 6 assists (11-15 FG, 6-10 3-point, 2-2 FT)
* Alex O'Neill: 13 pts, 10 reb
* Zach Knobloch: 13 pts
* Colin Bonnett: 11 pts, 2 reb, 4 assists

* Zach Fisher: 14 pts
* Elijah Henry: 12 pts, 8 reb
* Michael Beaty: 12 pts, 3 reb
* DaVante Harrell: 10 pts, 5 reb

The Big Blue have more pure talent than they've had in a long time.  They definitely have several dangerous weapons.

Brady Rose was fantastic tonight for the Titans.  He is just really smart on the floor and seems to have such command at all times.  As far as combo guard-types go, he has entered Korey Coon/Kent Raymond territory.

6-8 C Alex O'Neill is showing signs of coming on.  If the Titans can get him going they can do some big things.

Let's slow down the hype train. Brady Rose is having a great year and has really "blossomed" into his best self as a senior. But I can't put him on the same level as Kent Raymond, one of the best players in the history of the CCIW and the best/second-best player in Wheaton history...

[duckfan41]

Having watched Kent Raymond play in person many times during his time at Wheaton, I can say with absolute certainty that Brady Rose is not him. Brady is great player and one of the best guards in the conference today, but Kent Raymond was on a whole other level.

[augiefan]

Another nail bitter for Augie last night, but a road win is always a plus. The QC Vikings just do not have the depth they have had in recent years with Orange, Ebel and Sortillo being the only consistent scorers. If one of the big 3 has an off night, the Vikings are really vulnerable. In prior years Augie went 8 or 9 players deep and wore down opponents. Benning and Martin need to do more.

The loss of Wofford was a major set back, and no one else has stepped up to even partially fill that slot. Coach G as always tries to use his bench, but this year they are not stepping up. Right now IWU and Wheaton both should be ranked higher than Augie, but there are a lot of games left to be played. NCC. Augie and Carthage right now seem to be fighting for the 3rd and 4th slots in the CCIW tourney, Hope springs eternal that Augie will find some magic from here on out.

[Gregory Sager]

Brady Rose was fantastic tonight for the Titans.  He is just really smart on the floor and seems to have such command at all times.  As far as combo guard-types go, he has entered Korey Coon/Kent Raymond territory.

Let's slow down the hype train. Brady Rose is having a great year and has really "blossomed" into his best self as a senior. But I can't put him on the same level as Kent Raymond, one of the best players in the history of the CCIW and the best/second-best player in Wheaton history...

Having watched Kent Raymond play in person many times during his time at Wheaton, I can say with absolute certainty that Brady Rose is not him. Brady is great player and one of the best guards in the conference today, but Kent Raymond was on a whole other level.

I agree. Brady Rose has become an outstanding player, and I'll go so far as to say that he's one of the premier guards in the region and has a shot at making All-American if he keeps up his current pace. But he's not in Kent Raymond territory.

(Correction to blue_jays: Rose is listed as a senior, but, according to Bob, Rose plans to use his medical hardship waiver from two seasons ago to return to IWU next year and play out his fourth year of eligibility as a fifth-year undergraduate. Bob gets inside info straight from Rose's dad, who just so happens to be the head coach of the Titans, so I think that we can take that statement about Brady Rose's future to the bank.)

[badgerwarhawk]

What happened to that dude who said Brady Rose was only playing because his father was coach.  It sounded unkind then.  Now it just sounds stupid.

[blue_jays]

What happened to that dude who said Brady Rose was only playing because his father was coach.  It sounded unkind then.  Now it just sounds stupid.

The CCIW coaching dads have had a very successful run with their kids playing star roles in recent times. The "he only plays cuz his dad is the coach" crap should remain in the realm of delusional high school parents and former LA Clippers.

[duckfan41]

What happened to that dude who said Brady Rose was only playing because his father was coach.  It sounded unkind then.  Now it just sounds stupid.

I'd be lying if I said the "Daddy's boy" chants when the Titans come to King don't make me laugh, but you have to give credit where it's due. Brady Rose is a stud and it can be said he is the best guard in the conference. Obviously Aston Francis (my bias) is in the conversation, along with Colin Lake and others, but there's something to be said about Rose's consistent efficiency. He's very fun to watch play the game of basketball (outside of when he picks fights with none other than Aston Francis). 

[Gregory Sager]

What happened to that dude who said Brady Rose was only playing because his father was coach.  It sounded unkind then.  Now it just sounds stupid.

The guy who kept posting that stuff was the father of an Illinois Wesleyan guard who never was good enough to get promoted from the JV team and who eventually stopped playing for the program altogether. I like to think of that dad as "Mr. Hoarding Guards", as he introduced that expression, which has been a running joke on CCIW Chat ever since. If I remember correctly, Pat banished Mr. Hoarding Guards to the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The CCIW coaching dads have had a very successful run with their kids playing star roles in recent times. The "he only plays cuz his dad is the coach" crap should remain in the realm of delusional high school parents and former LA Clippers.

Amen. Give me a starting five of Stevie D., Brady Rose, and the three Raridon brothers, and I'll win the D3 national championship without even picking up my whiteboard.

I'd be lying if I said the "Daddy's boy" chants when the Titans come to King don't make me laugh, but you have to give credit where it's due. Brady Rose is a stud and it can be said he is the best guard in the conference. Obviously Aston Francis (my bias) is in the conversation, along with Colin Lake and others, but there's something to be said about Rose's consistent efficiency. He's very fun to watch play the game of basketball (outside of when he picks fights with none other than Aston Francis). 

Rose picks fights with Aston Francis? At the crackerbox last Saturday it was Zach Knobloch for IWU who was out there looking for a scrap. He knocked down Colin Lake at one point and stood over him while glaring downward, clearly daring Colin to get up and start something (until the burly Jason Hines walked over and lightly bumped into Knobloch in a very clear "get away from my boy" enforcer gesture), and then later on underneath the basket during a loose ball Knobloch again knocked Lake to the floor with a severity that was obviously well beyond simple game contact. I didn't blame Knobloch one bit for his antics, because that's part of the game; when an opponent is as unstoppable as Lake was in that game, it only makes sense to try to provoke him into doing something stupid by bullying him (especially when said opponent is 5'7, weighs 145 pounds soaking wet, and therefore isn't likely to make you sprint for the team bus after the game is over). Fortunately, Colin is as smart as he is tough, and he didn't take the bait. It just surprised me because that's not usually the m.o. of an Illinois Wesleyan player. I'd be more likely to associate that edgy sort of gamesmanship with someone wearing Augustana navy blue (although not as much recently as was true 10-15 years ago).

[duckfan41]

I'd be lying if I said the "Daddy's boy" chants when the Titans come to King don't make me laugh, but you have to give credit where it's due. Brady Rose is a stud and it can be said he is the best guard in the conference. Obviously Aston Francis (my bias) is in the conversation, along with Colin Lake and others, but there's something to be said about Rose's consistent efficiency. He's very fun to watch play the game of basketball (outside of when he picks fights with none other than Aston Francis). 

Rose picks fights with Aston Francis? At the crackerbox last Saturday it was Zach Knobloch for IWU who was out there looking for a scrap. He knocked down Colin Lake at one point and stood over him while glaring downward, clearly daring Colin to get up and start something (until the burly Jason Hines walked over and lightly bumped into Knobloch in a very clear "get away from my boy" enforcer gesture), and then later on underneath the basket during a loose ball Knobloch again knocked Lake to the floor with a severity that was obviously well beyond simple game contact. I didn't blame Knobloch one bit for his antics, because that's part of the game; when an opponent is as unstoppable as Lake was in that game, it only makes sense to try to provoke him into doing something stupid by bullying him (especially when said opponent is 5'7, weighs 145 pounds soaking wet, and therefore isn't likely to make you sprint for the team bus after the game is over). Fortunately, Colin is as smart as he is tough, and he didn't take the bait. It just surprised me because that's not usually the m.o. of an Illinois Wesleyan player. I'd be more likely to associate that edgy sort of gamesmanship with someone wearing Augustana navy blue (although not as much recently as was true 10-15 years ago).

I was referring to an isolated occurrence in this year's matchup in King, where the game was fairly choppy the whole way even starting in the JV game, when an IWU player went as far as to refuse to shake hands with John Panner. It was the second half, and Francis and Rose both ended up on the floor in a tie-up, Francis hit the floor first and Rose dove on top of him, to my memory no foul was called because one of the teams was awarded a timeout, after both players stood up Rose went after Francis and the two were immediately broken up and the entire IWU bench cleared (an odd situation when compared to the actions and consequences from Alabama's basketball game against Minnesota that happened nights before).

(modified by GS for formatting)

[duckfan41]

Sorry Greg, I responded on my phone and the formatting decided to do whatever witchcraft that response ended up resembling.

[Gregory Sager]

Don't worry about it. I've fixed it.

[duckfan41]

Still very much a rookie to posting, even though it seams I've been promoted to second-string