MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[voxelmhurst]

Lavon Thomas was named the latest CCIW Player of the Week

https://cciw.org/news/2019/12/2/elmhursts-thomas-named-cciw-mens-basketball-player-of-the-week.aspx

Coach Baines praises team in helping Thomas/Rhode achieve success during the offseason and at the beginning this season.

https://twitter.com/baines_john/status/1201694598776659968

[GoPerry]

Illinois Wesleyan (5-1, 0-0) vs Wheaton (4-2, 0-0), Wed 12/4, 7:00pm...

Illinois Wesleyan (5-1, 0-0)
Injured/Out (Concussion): G - Grant Wolfe, 5-11/185 Jr.  16.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.6 apg

G - Luke Yoder, 6-0/170 Fr.  5.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.8 apg
G - Keondre Schumacher, 5-11/175 So.  18.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.2 apg
G - Pete Lambesis, 6-4/195 So.  14.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.2 apg
F - Doug Wallen, 6-5/210 Jr.  10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.0 apg
F - Charlie Bair, 6-7/220 Jr.  7.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg
---------
G - Cory Noe, 6-2/175 So.  7.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg


Wheaton (4-2, 0-0)
G - Tyson Cruickshank, 5-11/160 So.  17.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.8 apg
G - Collin Uveges, 6-1/170 Jr.  5.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg
G - Nyameye Adom, 6-1/190 Jr.  21.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.5 apg
F - Cade Alioth, 6-5/205 Jr.  9.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.2 apg
F - Anajuwon Spencer, 6-8/195 Sr.  12.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg
-------
F - Gavin Hawkins, 6-7/215 Jr.   5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg


Links
IWU Notes - https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/iwusports.com/documents/2019/12/3/Game7_Wheaton.pdf

Pantagraph - https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/luke-yoder-in-starting-lineup-as-illinois-wesleyan-opens-cciw/article_e25ddae9-aeb6-5e62-891b-47617e1af0ab.html

Season preview - http://www.iwuhoops.com/preview2020.pdf

WEXG Radio - http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/WWHP

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

Live stats - https://www.iwusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Adom had a pretty nice game at Shirk last year and so did Cruickshank.  So they should feel comfortable playing there tonight.  Still, it will take a total team effort to come out with a W even with Wolfe out.  A big game by Spencer or maybe Gavin Hawkins is probably a necessity.  The skill and speed of K Schumacher will make him a tough stop for everyone this season and without a Peters-like defensive stopper wearing blue, he could go for 25+ tonight.

[Titan Q]

Wheaton 76
IWU 60

https://www.iwusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/individual;team=home

The final score is a little misleading -- this was a bigger beating than 16.  I can't remember IWU being dominated like that from start to finish in a CCIW home game.  I didn't really even recognize the Titans on the floor.

Credit Wheaton.  The Thunder came in ready to play and they executed incredibly well.  They play really hard and smart.

IWU will need to regroup quickly with #21-Carthage (6-0) coming to town Saturday, coming off a win over NCC tonight.  And then the Titans go to #24-Augustana, and host #10-Wash U.

[PauldingLightUP]

Tonight felt very much like a heavyweight batting in Kenosha. Cards and Red Men feel very much like the top along with Elmhurst right there with them. Seems like then a gap to Augustana in the fourth especially until the Vikings return to full strength.

[Mr. Ypsi]

A shocker in B'town tonite.  Wheaton winning was mildly surprising but not shocking; Wheaton absolutely dominating was the shock.  Final was 76-60, but it was not even that close.   I mostly watched the women's game (a 'laugher' in Naperville as the Titans won by 45), as the game in Bloomington was just too painful.

[Gregory Sager]

Carroll 75
North Park 63

Matt Szuba: 14 pts, 10 rebs, 3:1 a:to
Toby Marek: 14 pts
Izaiah Sanders: 12 pts, 6 rebs
Jacquan Binion: 10 pts, 6:2 a:to

Blake Williams: 17 pts
Charlie Soule: 15 pts, 9 rebs
Kale Maupin: 15 pts, 7 rebs, 6:2 a:to
Ryan Clarey: 11 pts, 5:2 a:to
Nick Penny: 11 pts

[Gregory Sager]

The other scores:

@ Carthage 83, North Central 81
Elmhurst 85, @ Millikin 60

Reigning CCIW POW Lavon Thomas gives good value per minute: Tonight he had 18 points and 8 rebounds in only 21 minutes of action for the 'jays down at the Griz.

[GoPerry]

Big team Wheaton win in a pretty surprising result.  I thought Wheaton would be ready and be able to play well but dominating and winning by that margin at Shirk no less?  What was nice to see was the contributions up and down the roster.  Cade Alioth continues to impress and really looks comfortable scoring, defending and rebounding.  Although he's going up against larger 4s and 5s, he maximizes his better mobility to get to the boards and score.  Terrific contributions from Gavin Hawkins who found his stroke, Andrew Williams, and Eli Considine off the bench.  Williams (sister Hannah on women's team) especially brings a lot of energy and blue collar hustle to the floor. 

It seems that road wins will really be at a premium - even more so than previous seasons given the league strength.  So getting this one vs an upper tier team is a great +1.

[USee]

Quotes from last nights game at the Shirk:

"Everybody knew about Aston Francis. We're getting a little tired of hearing we can't win without him," said Thunder coach Mike Schauer. "I don't think he scored tonight. We think we're pretty good."

"This team is playing with a real high energy," said Schauer. "We think we're better than people think we are. This was not a fluky effort to me. We're a difficult team to play."

"Quite honestly, we were just outtoughed. They took us out of our offense, and we didn't fight to stay in it," Rose said. "We didn't provide much resistance on the defensive end. We kind of went rogue. We got frustrated and defended individually instead of collectively."

[thunder38]

Quotes from last nights game at the Shirk:

"Everybody knew about Aston Francis. We're getting a little tired of hearing we can't win without him," said Thunder coach Mike Schauer. "I don't think he scored tonight. We think we're pretty good."

"This team is playing with a real high energy," said Schauer. "We think we're better than people think we are. This was not a fluky effort to me. We're a difficult team to play."

"Quite honestly, we were just outtoughed. They took us out of our offense, and we didn't fight to stay in it," Rose said. "We didn't provide much resistance on the defensive end. We kind of went rogue. We got frustrated and defended individually instead of collectively."

Norm Eash didn't think Wheaton was 16 points better than IWU last night...

[mwunder]

Red Men vs. North Central

Three different games in this one.

Game 1---first ten minutes.  Carthage exploded out of the gate to take a 30-10 lead after the first 10 minutes of the game.  Carthage shot something like 85% or so for the first 10 minutes and North Central couldn't buy a bucket. 

Game 2---The next 8 minutes were all North Central.  They went on a 29-7 run to take the lead at 39-37 at the 2:44 mark.  Last year, Carthage would have folded it's tent and packed things in.  This year they responded by running off the last 7 points of the half to take a 44-39 lead into the break.

Game 3---Second half of the contest.  The two teams battled evenly through the first 11 minutes of the first half when Carthage still had a 7 point lead.  A mini-run over the next 5 minutes put Carthage up 11, but NC wouldn't go away and they actually cut the game to 1 with 26 seconds left to play.

Yes, AndOne, I do think that there was a foul on the final play of the game against Meredith underneath on the air ball attempt that went uncalled.  I do think that the refs totally missed a number of calls down the stretch though.  The one that hurt Carthage the most was the balled dribbled out of bounds off of the NC guard that was given back to NC who then hit a 3 (not sure if that cut the lead to 4 or 1).

Meredith led NCC with points (17), Reb (6) and Assists (6)
Rairdon had 9 - 6 - 6
Pollack and Cappelletti both had 16
Helwig had 11.

NCC shot 49% from beyond the arc and hit 17 threes.  That's just about double their season average for made 3s.

Kedrowski led Carthage with 20, 4:0 ratio
Cook had 16, 5:1 ratio with 3 steals
Johnson chipped in with 14 - 9 - 6:0 ratio.

Carthage shot 53% from beyond the arc on 12-23 shooting.

In a rather chippy contest, only 13 foul shots were taken.  NCC showed they are for real by getting up from the blitz that Carthage put on them in the first ten minutes of the game.  Very impressed with them.

[voxelmhurst]

Elmhurst 85, @ Millikin 60

Reigning CCIW POW Lavon Thomas gives good value per minute: Tonight he had 18 points and 8 rebounds in only 21 minutes of action for the 'jays down at the Griz.

It was more of the same for Elmhurst, which is a very good thing these days. Rhode had all of his points in the second half, which is the second or third time this has happened this season. Militello with 12 boards and Wes Hooker with a season high 13 points off the bench.

Regarding Thomas, early in the game there was a play where he caught the ball down low, spun away from the defender get a shot off, passed up the defender while the shot was in the air so as to be able to collect his own rebound, and converted on the second attempt. That play is wholly emblematic of the level that Thomas is at right now.

Elmhurst's next game not until Dec 14 at home to North Central.

[Greek Tragedy]

All those idiot, lazy Top 25 voters who voted Wheaton are having a pretty good laugh now. They might want to know how the crow tastes, you know who you are.

[duckfan41]

All those idiot, lazy Top 25 voters who voted Wheaton are having a pretty good laugh now. They might want to know how the crow tastes, you know who you are.

+1 

[Gregory Sager]

All those idiot, lazy Top 25 voters who voted Wheaton are having a pretty good laugh now. They might want to know how the crow tastes, you know who you are.

Come on, Tom. You mean to tell me that some Top 25 voter in Virginia or Massachusetts or Oregon knew that Tyson Cruickshank and Nyameye Adom were going to step out of the shadow of Mr. Shoot Until My Arms Fall Off himself, Aston Francis, and become quite possibly the best backcourt in the Central Region while the voter who is a CCIW lifer, Bob Quillman, didn't? You're gonna insist that some pollster tied to some league 800 miles away from Illinois was dead certain that Cade Alioth, who wasn't even a rotation player last season (7.1 mpg while playing in only 19 of Wheaton's 31 games) while averaging 1.1 ppg and 1.6 rpg, was going to come out of the gate this year as a 10.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg monster?

Bob and Pat and I called those five people who put Wheaton on their preseason ballots "lazy voters" (nobody ever called them "idiots") because that's exactly what they were: lazy voters. There is no way in the world that they could have foreseen the emergence of outright superstars for Wheaton who last season were role players, or something even less than that. Those of us who took the time to look at what Wheaton had coming back, and saw that with the loss of Francis, Luke Peters, Kobe Eichelberger, Trevor Gunter, and Spencer Peterson -- and the protracted absence of Luke Anthony, who might end up missing 40% of the 2019-20 regular season due to football -- Wheaton had lost 77% of its scoring from last season, 64% of its rebounding, 71% of its assists, and the best perimeter defender in the CCIW. It's patently obvious that the voters who put Wheaton on their ballots didn't take the time to examine that data, because it's absolutely impossible that they could've predicted the sudden emergence of so many players on the Wheaton roster on so steep a curve.

Mike Schauer, his staff, and Wheaton's players, all of whom no doubt believed that they were capable of stepping into the shoes of those departed players and producing at such a high-octane level, are entitled to an I-told-you-so at our expense. I don't think that anybody else is -- especially those five voters, who in this instance can call themselves the Blind Squirrel Club.