MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

That sounds like you're giving him a triple-dog dare to post something, USee.

[USee]

Not really, just an observation from past games.

[voxelmhurst]

Millikin 87, ELmhurst 70.

Coach Scherer wins in his first return to Elmhurst. I only caught the second half due to work. Millikin has a lot of talent and hit a lot of tough shots in the second half turning this one into a blowout.

Elmhurst are now in total free fall. I'm starting to get the feeling they could not win another game this season. Hope I'm wrong. Lavon Thomas was not in the lineup for the second straight game. Not sure of the reason for this. Elmhurst's 6th chance for CCIW win #5 vs Carthage at home on Saturday.

[duckfan41]

Been letting Wheaton's win in Bloomington last night marinate for a while, and for as well as Wheaton played last night I gotta give credit where credit is due. Brady Rose played a heckuva game down the stretch last night. In the final minutes, I cannot remember Rose missing a shot, as he seemed to find the bottom of the net no matter where he shot from. He started off slow, and that was magnified by a smoltering start from Francis. I have the utmost respect for Brady Rose as a basketball player and thought his efforts from last night needed highlighting.

Obviously #1 in blue had a big game, but rather than harp on that, Luke Peters deserves praise for his effort last night. I knew he scored a tad more than usual, but seeing that he had 17 in the final box score was pleasantly surprising. Also, when the Titans employed the Hack-a-Peters strategy, Luke actually managed to hit his free throws (which for anyone who follows the Thunder, is surprising). Whenever Luke goes to the line it's an adventure, and I know how hard he works on his craft, but for whatever reason there hasn't been a complete correlation between the work put in and a positive result on the court at the free throw line. If he can make his free throws, the strategy will be pointless and help the Thunder to build their leads at the end of games, rather than hold their breath as teams inch closer while the clock isn't moving.

Overall, I'm very happy with Wheaton's performance last night. Giving up 95 points isn't ideal, but when you can put up 107 on the road against a very good IWU squad, I'll take it. Can't falter going to NPU on Saturday!

[lmitzel]

Just please -- please -- don't give us the "if the Cards only had Erwin Henry ..." sob story if and when NCC loses a game.

Well, if he does, just point out that Jordan Robinson's 28 points would have been enough to overcome Erwin Henry's efforts.   

You don't have to be concerned as AndOne won't be posting anything of the kind, he not only doesn't make excuses when his team loses, he just flat out doesn't post until they win again and that's not until next Wednesdday. It's going to be a long week. 

I'm sure we'll see him before then.

Last night was a tough one. Chrishawn Orange looked fantastic, scoring the game's first eight, Nolan Ebel hit some big shots, and Augie's defense was outstanding, especially in the first half. North Central put up a ton of threes, many of which came at the end of the shot clock. Micah Martin had three blocks, but it sure seemed like a lot more than that as he really set the tone in the paint. I tip my cap.

North Central did a great job trying to come back in the second half, but you can't fall behind by almost 20 against a team like Augie and expect to come back to win. North Central left a few points at the free throw line too, which you also can't do against a team like Augie.

Updated standings:

Illinois Wesleyan	9-3
Augustana	9-4
North Central	9-4
Wheaton	8-4
Carthage	7-5
Carroll	5-7
e-Millikin	4-9
e-Elmhurst	4-9
e-North Park	1-11

e- Eliminated from CCIW Tournament contention

[iwumichigander]

Cut him a little slack, Greg.  He's giving an opponent some credit.   Something that fans don't do all that often in general on message boards.   

Bob always gives IWU opponents credit when deserved, which is to his great credit. And he was full of praise for Wheaton tonight, which, given what thunder38 just posted, seems to be very well-deserved praise for the most part. But praising Wheaton's defense just seemed a little ... much.

Although allowing your opponent to shoot 50% isn't great, I do think you have to evaluate Wheaton's defense more in terms of points per possession given they play a kind of Golden State Warriors style of basketball these days with Francis.   IWU added a bunch of possessions to the game in the second half also, trying to come back from being down 20+.

Is that a fancy way of saying that they didn't get back on defense?

Greg - I did watch the game.  Wheaton defended the perimeter well almost all night. A 17 point run to start the 2nd half certainly did not hurt.  But the defense did result in foul trouble for the Thunder which I think in part led to the Titans coming back in the last 9+ minutes.

[Gregory Sager]

Cut him a little slack, Greg.  He's giving an opponent some credit.   Something that fans don't do all that often in general on message boards.   

Bob always gives IWU opponents credit when deserved, which is to his great credit. And he was full of praise for Wheaton tonight, which, given what thunder38 just posted, seems to be very well-deserved praise for the most part. But praising Wheaton's defense just seemed a little ... much.

Although allowing your opponent to shoot 50% isn't great, I do think you have to evaluate Wheaton's defense more in terms of points per possession given they play a kind of Golden State Warriors style of basketball these days with Francis.   IWU added a bunch of possessions to the game in the second half also, trying to come back from being down 20+.

Is that a fancy way of saying that they didn't get back on defense?

Greg - I did watch the game.  Wheaton defended the perimeter well almost all night. A 17 point run to start the 2nd half certainly did not hurt.  But the defense did result in foul trouble for the Thunder which I think in part led to the Titans coming back in the last 9+ minutes.

Fouls aren't good defense. Unless you're talking about endgame cases in which a team fouls strategically, in a standard defensive situation fouls are at best -- as in the case of a hard foul on an opponent who would otherwise get an easy layup, or a foul by a player with few fouls who is protecting a teammate who is in foul trouble -- a partial atonement for a prior defensive screw-up or simple defensive inability to stop an opponent.

Wheaton committed 22 fouls in the game, 21 of them defensive. All but four of those 21 defensive fouls resulted in IWU going to the free-throw line, which is a very high percentage. No wonder that the Titans shot 31 free throws, nine more than they've been averaging this season.

[AndOne]

Last night in Naperville, North Central played a first half to die for, and...................it killed them!

They scored a whole 16 points. I would not have thought that to be possible. Less points than minutes in the half. 
Credit the Augie defense. It was as if they created a defensive bubble around the NCC basket. Micah Martin (3 blocks), curiously not much of an offensive threat despite being 6'11", was the chief defender, swatting away Cardinal shot attempts as if they were pesky gnats. After batting a couple of early attempts seemingly to the Hangar balcony, it appeared the Cards were reluctant to go inside. Instead, they resorted to launching numerous long distance missiles, most of whose guidance systems were seriously flawed until Mike Pollack arrived on scene to adjust some of the programming coordinates.
In the meantime, the Augie offense, initially powered by Chrishawn Orange with subsequent sharp relief by Nolan Ebel, sprinted out to a 32-16 halftime lead. An advantage from which the Cardinals, despite a magnificent 2nd half comeback attempt, were never able to recover from, finishing on the short end of a 71-65 score.

Orange led the Augie attack with 22 (8/12, 2/2, 4/6), and Ebel had 18 (5/12, 2/4, 6/8) points, and a team leading 6 rebounds.

NCC was led in scoring by Alex Sorenson with 19 (8/14, 2/3, 1/3). Alex also pulled down a game high 7 rebounds. Mike Pollack hit 5 threes, and a driving layup for his 17 points. Aiden Chang had 4 assists vs zero TOs. Connor Raridon, tied for 4th in the nation in assists with 145 on the season, had 9 helpers vs 2 TOs.

The Cardinals registered assists on 21 of 23 made baskets, and committed 11 TOs compared to Augie's 10 assists and 13 TOs.
Augie won the board war, 32-29.

[Gregory Sager]

I knew that you couldn't resist a triple-dog dare, Mark -- especially since it came from a Wheaton fan.

[Kovo]

Last night in Naperville, North Central played a first half to die for, and...................it killed them!

They scored a whole 16 points. I would not have thought that to be possible. Less points than minutes in the half. 
Credit the Augie defense. It was as if they created a defensive bubble around the NCC basket. Micah Martin (3 blocks), curiously not much of an offensive threat despite being 6'11", was the chief defender, swatting away Cardinal shot attempts as if they were pesky gnats. After batting a couple of early attempts seemingly to the Hangar balcony, it appeared the Cards were reluctant to go inside. Instead, they resorted to launching numerous long distance missiles, most of whose guidance systems were seriously flawed until Mike Pollack arrived on scene to adjust some of the programming coordinates.
In the meantime, the Augie offense, initially powered by Chrishawn Orange with subsequent sharp relief by Nolan Ebel, sprinted out to a 32-16 halftime lead. An advantage from which the Cardinals, despite a magnificent 2nd half comeback attempt, were never able to recover from, finishing on the short end of a 71-65 score.

Orange led the Augie attack with 22 (8/12, 2/2, 4/6), and Ebel had 18 (5/12, 2/4, 6/8) points, and a team leading 6 rebounds.

NCC was led in scoring by Alex Sorenson with 19 (8/14, 2/3, 1/3). Alex also pulled down a game high 7 rebounds. Mike Pollack hit 5 threes, and a driving layup for his 17 points. Aiden Chang had 4 assists vs zero TOs. Connor Raridon, tied for 4th in the nation in assists with 145 on the season, had 9 helpers vs 2 TOs.

The Cardinals registered assists on 21 of 23 made baskets, and committed 11 TOs compared to Augie's 10 assists and 13 TOs.
Augie won the board war, 32-29.

If Erwin Henry had been healthy we probably make it all the way back!

[AndOne]

Last night in Naperville, North Central played a first half to die for, and...................it killed them!

They scored a whole 16 points. I would not have thought that to be possible. Less points than minutes in the half. 
Credit the Augie defense. It was as if they created a defensive bubble around the NCC basket. Micah Martin (3 blocks), curiously not much of an offensive threat despite being 6'11", was the chief defender, swatting away Cardinal shot attempts as if they were pesky gnats. After batting a couple of early attempts seemingly to the Hangar balcony, it appeared the Cards were reluctant to go inside. Instead, they resorted to launching numerous long distance missiles, most of whose guidance systems were seriously flawed until Mike Pollack arrived on scene to adjust some of the programming coordinates.
In the meantime, the Augie offense, initially powered by Chrishawn Orange with subsequent sharp relief by Nolan Ebel, sprinted out to a 32-16 halftime lead. An advantage from which the Cardinals, despite a magnificent 2nd half comeback attempt, were never able to recover from, finishing on the short end of a 71-65 score.

Orange led the Augie attack with 22 (8/12, 2/2, 4/6), and Ebel had 18 (5/12, 2/4, 6/8) points, and a team leading 6 rebounds.

NCC was led in scoring by Alex Sorenson with 19 (8/14, 2/3, 1/3). Alex also pulled down a game high 7 rebounds. Mike Pollack hit 5 threes, and a driving layup for his 17 points. Aiden Chang had 4 assists vs zero TOs. Connor Raridon, tied for 4th in the nation in assists with 145 on the season, had 9 helpers vs 2 TOs.

The Cardinals registered assists on 21 of 23 made baskets, and committed 11 TOs compared to Augie's 10 assists and 13 TOs.
Augie won the board war, 32-29.

If Erwin Henry had been healthy we probably make it all the way back!

Now who in the world is gonna believe that? 🤤

[AndOne]

Just please -- please -- don't give us the "if the Cards only had Erwin Henry ..." sob story if and when NCC loses a game.

Well, if he does, just point out that Jordan Robinson's 28 points would have been enough to overcome Erwin Henry's efforts.   

You don't have to be concerned as AndOne won't be posting anything of the kind, he not only doesn't make excuses when his team loses, he just flat out doesn't post until they win again and that's not until next Wednesdday. It's going to be a long week. 

USee,

Congratulations on your appointment as the new Posting Police Chief. 👮‍♂️
As you settle into your new position, I, a former investigator myself (Sager can confirm  ) would caution you to make a full investigation before bringing charges, and to refrain from making bold predictions which somehow prove erroneous within a short time after their unfortunate utterance. After all, it's not quite next Wednesday yet is it? 
Additionally, always be aware that there are often extenuating circumstances which can paint a case in a color other than what initial observations might seem to suggest. 🕵️‍♂️
Also, a thorough investigation would have revealed I usually don't post until the next day (Imitzel can confirm  )
You've charged me with not (ever) posting when NCC loses. Accordingly, I need to set you straight.

1. NCC's first loss was to Heidelberg. I didn't see the game. Something that I'm sure you'll agree would be a major obstacle with regard to an intelligent analysis and/or commentary.
2. I did not post after the Friday night loss to Whitworth. I was a bit overwhelmed with the activities of daily living as The Boss insisted I get caught up on my chores over the weekend. You know what they say about happy wife, happy life. 
3. I did post something about both the IWU AND Augie games. You might want to refine your investigatory technique. 👁

4. And sin, sin, the 1/20 Elmhurst game rec'd not one word!
And not that it's yours or anyone else's frickin' business, but my wife was hospitalized early on the morning of 1/21 due to an adverse reaction to a new anti-rejection drug for her kidney transplant. Excuse me, but my attention was focused elsewhere for a couple of days until the doctors got the situation stabilized. You might want to consider issuing a pass on that one. Maybe not. 🤔 🤷🏻‍♂️

[USee]

AndOne,

You are funny. I am neither police nor investigator and don't claim either role/title. My facts go back a few years not a few games. The record is on the website. My personal observation over several years is that you post an abundance of information on NCC games after wins and virtually none (most of the time) after losses.

I read your posts, as I read Q, and Sager and everyone else's. I pay close attention to Q and Sager because they are consistent with their feedback win or lose.

Sorry about your wife. I hope she is feeling better.

[augie77]

Last night in Naperville, North Central played a first half to die for, and...................it killed them!

They scored a whole 16 points. I would not have thought that to be possible. Less points than minutes in the half. 
Credit the Augie defense. It was as if they created a defensive bubble around the NCC basket. Micah Martin (3 blocks), curiously not much of an offensive threat despite being 6’11”, was the chief defender, swatting away Cardinal shot attempts as if they were pesky gnats. After batting a couple of early attempts seemingly to the Hangar balcony, it appeared the Cards were reluctant to go inside. Instead, they resorted to launching numerous long distance missiles, most of whose guidance systems were seriously flawed until Mike Pollack arrived on scene to adjust some of the programming coordinates.
In the meantime, the Augie offense, initially powered by Chrishawn Orange with subsequent sharp relief by Nolan Ebel, sprinted out to a 32-16 halftime lead. An advantage from which the Cardinals, despite a magnificent 2nd half comeback attempt, were never able to recover from, finishing on the short end of a 71-65 score.

Orange led the Augie attack with 22 (8/12, 2/2, 4/6), and Ebel had 18 (5/12, 2/4, 6/8) points, and a team leading 6 rebounds.

NCC was led in scoring by Alex Sorenson with 19 (8/14, 2/3, 1/3). Alex also pulled down a game high 7 rebounds. Mike Pollack hit 5 threes, and a driving layup for his 17 points. Aiden Chang had 4 assists vs zero TOs. Connor Raridon, tied for 4th in the nation in assists with 145 on the season, had 9 helpers vs 2 TOs.

The Cardinals registered assists on 21 of 23 made baskets, and committed 11 TOs compared to Augie’s 10 assists and 13 TOs.
Augie won the board war, 32-29.

If Erwin Henry had been healthy we probably make it all the way back!

Now who in the world is gonna believe that?

[/b]
Not Pierson Wofford...

[Titan Q]

Wheaton was going to beat about anyone in the country tonight - they were just incredibly sharp on both ends of the floor.

You saw the game and I didn't, so all I can go by is the box score ... but when I see that a team gave up 95 points on 50% shooting from the field by its opponent, the words "incredibly sharp" don't leap to mind in terms of that team's defense.

I'm just curious as to why you used that term to describe Wheaton's defense. Wheaton gave up 18 points more than its season points-against average tonight -- and this is a Wheaton team that wasn't scintillating on D to begin with (the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance is 8th in overall points allowed, and was 7th -- and is now 8th -- in CCIW points allowed). And, since IWU only turned the ball over six times tonight, it doesn't seem like this was a great exhibition of ballhawking by WC, either.

I'm sure that Mike Schauer is ecstatic to come home from BloNo with a rare Shirk win in his back pocket, but I'm dying to ask him on Saturday in the crackerbox whether or not he thinks that his team's defense was "incredibly sharp" on Wednesday night.

I thought Wheaton did a tremendous job on Brady Rose.  They trapped him near halfcourt often, made him work very hard to get the ball in IWU's offense, and didn't give him open looks.  24 minutes into the game, Rose had just 9 points...and Wheaton had an 18-point lead.

Brady Rose makes IWU go and I think Wheaton did the best job of any CCIW opponent to date in making it really hard on him.