MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Anyone want to offer some analysis of Viriginia Wesleyan, how they play, what strengths and weakness they have etc.?  Sure would like to see some basketball-orientation assessment here of the various teams in the Final Four.  I'm sure we've all looked at the stats and the write-ups on various websites, but would be nice to have some appraisals by folks who have seen the various teams a number of times this season.  How do the teams play well and how are they taken out of their game?

[Titan Q]

Per a coach that has seen Va Wesleyan play...

Virginia Wesleyan is undersized vs a big team like IWU, giving up 2 inches at most spots on the floor, but the Marlins are very quick and athletic (the coach really stressed QUICK).  They use their quickness to spread the floor and almost at all times they have 4 guys out there who can make 3's.  The 3 biggest perimeter threats are 6-1 Ton Ton Balenga, 6-0 Marques Fitch, and 6-5 power forward Tyler Fantin.  Inside, 6-5 Brandon Adair is one of the best post players in Division III.  Like the rest of the squad, he is undersized, yet his quickness and atheticism makes him tough to handle.  The coach I spoke to felt Adair is good enough to be a low DI player, even at his size.

Defensively, the Marlins are outstanding.  They play right up on the defender and pressure the ball.  Their cumulative opponent A/T.O. ratio is 0.6...that is the lowest # in that statistical category IWU has faced this season, matching the 0.6 of UW-Whitewater and Puget Sound.  IWU had 13 assists and 24 turnovers (.54 A/T.O.) vs Whitewater - obviously IWU can't have that kind of game vs the Marlins.  In two games vs Puget Sound, IWU has 41 assists and 30 T.O. (1.4 A/T.O.) which is great.  Why do I always bring up the opponent A/TO ratio?  Because in all 6 of IWU's losses, the Titans have had more turnovers than assists...

vs North Central: 7 assists/16 T.O.
@ Elmhurst: 9/16
vs Augie: 7/21
@ Wheaton: 12/15
@ Augie: 11/12
vs North Central (tourney): 4/10

So in 6 losses, IWU has 50 assists and 90 turnovers (0.6).  In 24 wins, the Titans have 395 assists and 286 turnovers (1.4).

It sounds to me like IWU will have to pound the ball inside vs Virginia Wesleyan, including finding a way to get Amelianovich the ball around the basket.  IWU's 6-6 small forward will be guarded in this game by 6-0 and 6-1 guards.  IWU will need to dominate the boards with its size and athleticism.

[Titan Q]

Hiker Jim, yes, I will be doing the usual color job for WJBC radio and also involved in the D3hoops.com pregame shows.

[Greek Tragedy]

PostUPS,

I appreciate your post and it's nice to get the viewpoint from an "opposing" fan.  Though I have no affiliation to IWU, I was cheering for them ever since they knocked out Whitewater the previous weekend.  I was also cheering for them against MWC foe Carroll the night before.  For the record, I did root for UPS against Augie!  I was also just hoping for another good game.  However, had UPS pulled the upset, I wouldn't have been heartbroken over IWU's loss.

Anyway...I respect your opinion and your "right" to not have IWU fans on either side of your fans.  But, the fans sitting to the right of your section were hardly "hardcore" IWU fans.  I recall a family there, along with some other casual IWU fans.  I don't think they ever stood and I don't remember any of them yelling and screaming or any kind of antics like that, similar to the overcrowded IWU section to the left of you.

I could understand your position had there been 100+ IWU fans wearing their green and being raucus like the other section, but they weren't.  There were no students to the right of you and the 15 or so fans of IWU hardly made noise for it to be too much of an inconvenience for you and your fans.  It's not like they were right next to you, they were at the far end of the bleachers.

As for your case that they should've been sent to the baseline bleachers...if there are seats available in a better location and the fans aren't out of control, I see no problem sitting on the far end of the sideline bleachers. 

I actually don't think it's fair to say that, no. Just because I think someone will win doesn't mean I'm automatically excluding all other possibilities. Not much of a chance to win? I reserve that for York (Pa.) over York (N.Y.), Hope over Wis. Lutheran, and the like.

You didn't Wis. Lutheran a chance vs. Hope???  Come on!  That game was actually tied at one point!!!  Well, ok, maybe at 0-0. 

[oldfish]

Pat-

Sorry about the "quick to dismiss the marlins" line.  I had read a post from Patcummings and thought that it was from you.  That post read along with Mr.Ypsi's comment that you  "pretty clearly indicated you expect a Witt-IWU" champ game lead me to believe that you were not giving Marlins much of a chance.  With that being said, my second post was a question.  I dont see how a question concerning your opinion on a topic can be putting words into your mouth.

Also, I wonder how you could say that I have a chip on my shoulder or that I believe everyone is against me.  I think that if you reread my original post, you will find that I actually pull for IWU in most situations and that the overall tone was one of repect for the people who post on this board.

Augiedad-

Actually there are multiple posts on this board that address an IWU-Witt final matchup.  That is what led me to believe that the IWU MAY be overlooking the Marlins.  It is just one persons interpretation of the posts on this board.  You cant expect much from me...I did go to High School in Normal, Illinois.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think that assessment is pretty good Q.  VAWes is undersized, but a very solid cohesive unit.  They play really well together.  Another advantage I see is that IWU will not only have height, but probably a size and strength advantage as well.  Adair is a little taller than Braier, but from everything I hear, not as strong or physically impossing.  Not that he can be taken lightly, but at least IWU has a recent opponent that compares to some degree.

The biggest factor will be, as you said, the height difference on the perimeter.  To find a 6'3" PG in division III is pretty rare, one as good as Duksas, nearly impossible.  Couple that with Keelan's ability to shoot over top of the defenders, and it will cause headaches.  I think IWU is probably too complete both inside and outside to fall to VAWes.  If one aspect of the game isn't working, they should be able to compensate pretty effectively.

[Knightstalker]

VWU held WPU to slightly over half of their scoring average.  Judging by the boxscore and having seen WPU a couple times a year it appears that VWU did a good job of neutralizing Martinez and Torres.  Both are 6'5"+ and 230 lbs+ and are pretty physical players that have to play physical every game in the NJAC.  I think VWU IWU will be a fairly low scoring game.

[mactitan]

Vote for the Cousy Award at www.cousyaward.com.  Vote everyday to get the DIII finalists some recognition.  (Dauksas now has 129 votes - 38 more then when I posted this yesterday).

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Northeastern is really going nuts rooting for their guy.

[uww4ever]

I voted for the IWU kid, and he kicked my WARHAWKS BUTT!!!!  If he kept hitting threes, I was going to storm the court myself man, he was friggen good.

Good luck to IWU in the DIII final four, see you next year at the tipoff tourney. 

[proudofLU]

iwum - 1230!

I DID listen to Scott Trost (as well as Pat Coleman earlier) - a lot of 'coachspeak', of course, but he was more forthcoming than I had anticipated.  I got the definite impression that he would be devastated with anything less than the title - and that he EXPECTS it, unless THEY screw up.  I LIKE that in a coach!

Chuck, I understand you like to overstate things, but having listened to that same radio interview I do not think a reasonable person could have come away with it hearing that, a) Scott Trost would be "devastated with anything less than the title", and that he, "expects it unless they screw up."  Just plain and simple, neither of those things was either said or could be remotely implied.   I have no idea where you come up with this stuff sometimes.

Trost is a bigger jerk to the refs than any coach I've seen come into Alex in 3 years, and that would include Tharpie at his worst which is only when he needs to defend his team.  I am amazed he didn't get T'd up in the UPS game.  Must be sacred ground near his bench.

[Johnny Augie]

When I watched the LU/IWU game, it seemed as those the LU coach was more out of control compared to Trost.  The guy was all over the court begging for calls.

[Johnny Augie]

Congrats to Harrigan for being named D3hoops.com "All-Region Player of the Year".

Also congrats to the big three from IWU, Simmons, Martin and Bollier for making the team as well.  I don't think I left anybody out.

[Titan Q]

ESPN's Jeremy Schaap interviewed IWU head coach Scott Trost this afternoon.  That Outside the Lines piece has a chance to be very cool.  I think it airs Thursday morning (late Wednesday) at 12:40am CST.

[Titan Q]

IWU senior point-guard Adam Dauksas will be a guest on Hoospville this evening at 8:30 pm (CST).

http://www.d3hoops.com/hoopsville/tunein.htm