MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[AO]

Off topic but I just stumbled onto this video today of Michael Jordan playing in some type of exhibition at a CCIW gym.
I just can't quite make out exactly which CCIW school it is.  Millikin?
https://youtu.be/2KEFI9MbTfg
Edit: It was Elmhurst.

[GoPerry]

Off topic but I just stumbled onto this video today of Michael Jordan playing in some type of exhibition at a CCIW gym.
I just can't quite make out exactly which CCIW school it is.  Millikin?
https://youtu.be/2KEFI9MbTfg
Edit: It was Elmhurst.

He used to hold his summer basketball camp at Elmhurst.

[kiko]

NCC is a host because of geography.  That's not the only reason; they're ranked well, but it's not about comparing numbers.  That's a good spot for taking advantage of the 500 mile rule.

The bet that the NCAA is making with that pod and its placement in the Nebraska Wesleyan quadrant is that either Loras or North Central will advance.  They shipped two teams from the East into that pod who would not be able to drive to Nebraska.  These two would be lesser seeds if we lived in a seeded world.  This helped to balance the East/West brackets a bit and if we get chalk, then the NCAA incurs no additional flights.

(Note that I am not suggesting there will be any home cooking or favoritism once we play the games.  Just that this was a reasonable bet to make as a smart way to combine geography and seedings in crafting the bracket.)

[Gregory Sager]

Exactly, Ryan and kiko. North Central was just within the safe edge for hosting based strictly upon numbers, but the fact that in 1861 the founding fathers of the college decided to locate their new Methodist school in the semi-civilized environs of Naperville, IL rather than opt for the howling wilderness of places such as Dubuque, IA, Oshkosh, WI, or Collegeville, MN is the determinative aspect behind this choice by the committee. You can draw cannon fodder teams from much farther east than those other places into a North Central pod within the Nebraska Wesleyan section, thereby making Lincoln a more bus-viable sectional site.

My point is that this was common knowledge prior to selection day. The D3 map was plain for everybody to see. The Cardinals had every right to expect to be hosting a pod once the final buzzer sounded in Carver on Saturday night. The Cards, who were #4 in the Central, beat #3 Wheaton to go 2-1 against the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance for the season -- plus, the Cards went 2-0 last week to Wheaton's 1-1 -- and the #2 team, UW-Oshkosh, bowed out immediately in the WIAC tourney, going 0-1. Given that this added to NCC's edge over UWO in the common-opponents criterion (NCC 6-2, UWO 3-1), it was reasonable to guess that the Cards might vault over both Wheaton and UWO in the final ranking. And even if they didn't vault over the Titans, geography would still have made them the logical choice to host a pod rather than UWO.

Therefore, NCC got exactly what it should've expected -- no more, no less.

[Gregory Sager]

(Incidentally, I think that Albion is probably going to prove itself a step up from cannon fodder. Loras is a solid favorite, but after having watched the Britons a couple of times I think that they need to be taken seriously. But as seeds go, the Britons are definitely well down deep inside third-seed territory, closer to fourth than second.)

(Also, before anybody in our neighboring states gets up in arms over my last post, I will declare for the record that I've been to both Dubuque, IA and Oshkosh, WI multiple times, and they're both lovely towns. And, while I've never been to Collegeville, MN, I hear good things. )

[lmitzel]

Exactly, Ryan and kiko. North Central was just within the safe edge for hosting based strictly upon numbers, but the fact that in 1861 the founding fathers of the college decided to locate their new Methodist school in the semi-civilized environs of Naperville, IL rather than opt for the howling wilderness of places such as Dubuque, IA, Oshkosh, WI, or Collegeville, MN is the determinative aspect behind this choice by the committee. You can draw cannon fodder teams from much farther east than those other places into a North Central pod within the Nebraska Wesleyan section, thereby making Lincoln a more bus-viable sectional site.

This is where the school's motto of #BeCentral comes into play... just as A.A. Smith intended.

[Gregory Sager]

LOL!

[USee]

seems fair to me to say NCC getting a home game is "good". Therefore the statement "they got a good draw" seems also appropriate. Over half the field got a worse draw than they did. The draw is "half full" vs "half empty" so to speak.

[AndOne]

NCC is a host because of geography.  That's not the only reason; they're ranked well, but it's not about comparing numbers.  That's a good spot for taking advantage of the 500 mile rule.

Not singling anyone out, but its hard to comprehend why anyone would find it inappropriate or surprising that a school that wound up #2 in the final Regional Rankings should be an opening first two rounds host. It seems like this is a well earned honor.

And, again, no matter what anyone else might think, the Cardinals players are happy with the draw, and that's all that really matters. They know that you might get relatively lucky and get a first round opponent that's a little less highly regarded than most of the rest of the field. But, beyond that, they also know there are no easy matchups, and it's their responsibility to take advantage of whatever opportunities might be afforded by being named a host school. The ball is in their court so to speak. Up to them to take advantage of the situation.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

NCC is a host because of geography.  That's not the only reason; they're ranked well, but it's not about comparing numbers.  That's a good spot for taking advantage of the 500 mile rule.

Not singling anyone out, but its hard to comprehend why anyone would find it inappropriate or surprising that a school that wound up #2 in the final Regional Rankings should be an opening first two rounds host. It seems like this is a well earned honor.

And, again, no matter what anyone else might think, the Cardinals players are happy with the draw, and that's all that really matters. They know that you might get relatively lucky and get a first round opponent that's a little less highly regarded than most of the rest of the field. But, beyond that, they also know there are no easy matchups, and it's their responsibility to take advantage of whatever opportunities might be afforded by being named a host school. The ball is in their court so to speak. Up to them to take advantage of the situation.

I don't believe I had seen the last regional rankings when I said that.  Our assumption was they finished third, which is certainly not an automatic hosting position.  That was the reason for that comment.

[AndOne]

Not a problem, Ryan. I didn't take your post as slinging arrows which was the reason for the first four words of my post. I was just making a general statement based on both what I knew and felt at the time. 

[Gregory Sager]

Massey sez:

Augustana
First round: 96.45
Second round: 76.16
Sectional semis: 57.47
Sectional finals: 44.62
National semis: 25.06
National championship: 15.24

North Central
First round: 95.22
Second round: 57.07
Sectional semis: 23.03
Sectional finals: 8.20
National semis: 3.70
National championship: 1.50

Wheaton
First round: 76.84
Second round: 34.59
Sectional semis: 10.83
Sectional finals: 5.81
National semis: 1.79
National championship: 0.62

Augustana 89, Aurora 68
North Central 74, Chatham 54
Wheaton 75, Hanover 67

[bbfan44]

Any info available regarding tickets for the North Central pod?  i.e. Is there a weekend package, are tickets available ahead of time or only on game day prior to the game...is there food available between games on Friday....I see no info on the NC website.
Thanks....

[AndOne]

There is no weekend "package." Tickets cannot be bought on Friday for Saturday's game.
First game Friday is at 5:30. Tickets go on sale in the lobby of Merner Fieldhouse at 4:00.
Tickets are $10.00 for adults, and $5.00 for seniors and students. Prices set by the NCAA, not NCC.
Tickets purchased Friday are good for both games.
Limited (popcorn, chips, candy, drinks) concessions will be available. No burgers, hot dogs etc. as I understand it.
Saturday's game starts at 7:00. Ticket sales beginning at 5:30. Prices are the same.

Hope that helps. 🏀 

[bbfan44]

AndOne...yes, perfect, thanks.