MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Final from northeastern Iowa:

North Park 82
Loras 72

Marquise Jackson: 19 pts, 5 stls
Jalen Boyd: 16 pts (4-6 trey)
Karl Polk: 11 pts
Adam Bulwa: 10 pts, 9 rebs
Shamar Pumphrey: 10 pts, 4:2 a:to
Kolden Vanlandingham: 6 rebs

NPU picked up a solid road win, as the Vikings got nice contributions from Bulwa and Polk on an evening when Jordan Boyd only played a dozen minutes due to foul trouble and usual offensive force Vanlandingham was off his game. Aside from one stretch in which the Duhawks got the NPU lead down to seven, the Vikings led by double digits almost the entire second half.

Massey had Loras as a seven-point favorite, which I guess tells you everything you need to know about Massey's accuracy in November.

[iwu70]

IWU loses to UW Oshkosh up in Cheeseheadland.  Titans only scoring 47 which will rarely get it done.  IWU had many TOs, Oshkosh only 3.  Seems the Titans really haven't found their groove or their identity yet this year.  Conference play coming soon.   Time to sort it out.

IWU'70

[GoPerry]

Wheaton over Chicago 73-55.

This one wasn't even this close as the Thunder took on a short-handed team with Chicago's leading scorerArrish Bhandal hardly playing due to illness. Tyson Cruickshank with 23 and 7 and Nick Schiavello adding 14 pts.  The Maroons were led by Joe Berry with 15 pts and 7 rebs

Perhaps the most notable and enjoyable part of the evening was hearing Nate Frank and Owen Handy doing the broadcast announcing tonight- always smooth and knowledgeable.  Frank corralled Schauer for nearly 4 mins of post-game interview time.

[Gregory Sager]

scoreboard
Carleton 79, Carroll 72
UW-Oshkosh 66, Illinois Wesleyan 47
Millikin 82, Lake Forest 78
North Park 82, Loras 72
Wheaton 73, Chicago 55

today
Washington (MO) @ Augustana

Tuesday
Ripon @ Carthage

With CCIW opening day set for Wednesday, this is how the league looks at the moment:

Elmhurst	5-0
Millikin	5-1
Wheaton	5-1
North Park	4-1
Carthage	3-1
North Central	3-2
Illinois Wesleyan	2-3
Carroll	2-5
Augustana	1-3

League record: 30-17 (.638)

[Gregory Sager]

In one of the more surprising scores I've seen in recent days, Augustana took visiting Wash U literally right down to the final buzzer before succumbing, 70-69. A three-point play by Charlie Jacobs of the Bears with three seconds left decided the outcome, although Dan Carr did get off an errant shot from the paint as the clock ran out. Carr led the way for Augie with 24 and 8 (it's now something of a novelty when he doesn't double-double), while Chase Larson had 12 and 7.

[Gregory Sager]

It's good to see former North Park star Jordan Robinson doing well professionally. The Albanian Superliga isn't exactly one step away from the NBA or anything, but he's getting paid to play the game he loves and he's excelling in his new setting. That's pretty much all that a D3 alumnus can ask for.

[Gotberg]

It's good to see former North Park star Jordan Robinson doing well professionally. The Albanian Superliga isn't exactly one step away from the NBA or anything, but he's getting paid to play the game he loves and he's excelling in his new setting. That's pretty much all that a D3 alumnus can ask for.

Thanks Greg, very happy for him.  What a way to spend your 20's.

[USee]

The conference race is as wide open as I can remember. I think NCC, Wheaton, IWU are all pretty close with a case to be made for any of these as the pre season #1. Elmhurst, Millikin and Augie are all going to contend. I don't think there is a lot of separation between these 6.

I posted this before the season and no reason to think any different based on results thus far. Elmhurst has certainly played well against an average schedule, Wheaton seems to be the best defensive team so far and Augie and IWU played the toughest schedules and were competitive in almost every game. Pretty wide open league this year as we get our first glimpse of conference play this week.

[iwu70]

USee, I basically agree with your assessment.  It's all pretty "wide open."   From what I've seen, it seems perhaps Elmhurst is stronger than many earlier thought they would be.  IWU, in my view, has underperformed so far and basically still have not gelled with a solid starting group or clear-cut rotation.  Some of this is due to injuries, some to experimentation.  They do have issues with perimeter defense and TOs.   If that continues, they will not win this very evenly matched conference, especially given those top six you mentioned.  Just my thought.

'70

[itsnotmeitsyou]

After seeing NPU play a couple of times now, several things are pretty clear:
- The talent level has been SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded from seasons past. They are clearly one of the Top 4 most talented teams in the CCIW. They might be the most overall athletic team in the league.
- They play really hard. Only Elmhurst (of the last few years) plays harder/more aggressive than the Vikes.
- They are "old" and play like it - patient, physical, and willing to attack matchups one on one.
- There will be nights when Marquise Jackson is the best player in the league and nights when he's "playing for the other team" (will absolutely kill the Vikes with selfish and out of control play).
- The light blue "Chicago" uniforms (which plenty of people don't like) are fine - they WILL take a while for people to get used to.
- This will be a VERY hard team for NPU fans to like - loud, obnoxious, undisciplined and willing to tell you how good they are and how much you suck. This team is such an outlier in NPU/CCIW norms that it will be shocking to most people.
- I watched 4 players warm up with headphones on and their best player spend the entire pre-game warming up in an undershirt/t-shirt (only to put his jersey on just prior to starting lineup introductions on the bench). These guys watch WAAAAAAAY too many NBA games and think they can do this as well (for the record - NBA players are allowed to do that up to 30 minutes prior to tip-off... then they are fined after that).
- HC Sean Smith has assembled a squad players (3 of whom have been  - in addition to several other transfers) that will require strong discipline and leadership...things that a majority of 1st head coaches struggle with.
- NPU can easily finish 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in the conference race this season.

[WUPHF]

In one of the more surprising scores I've seen in recent days, Augustana took visiting Wash U literally right down to the final buzzer before succumbing, 70-69.

I am not sure why that score ranks as one of the more surprising.

You should check out the latest Darryl Nester posts.

As for Augustana, they trailed Whitewater by one possession with 0:04 left and Platteville by one possession with a minute or so left in the game.

Each of those games could have pivoted in the other direction quite quickly.

And Washington University is a lot like Augustana.  Mostly freshmen and sophomores with one veteran.

[Pat Coleman]

- HC Sean Smith has assembled a squad players (3 of whom have been  - in addition to several other transfers) that will require strong discipline and leadership...things that a majority of 1st head coaches struggle with.

Hi there -- unless you can provide some corroboration of that so-called fact you included in that post, it's excised.

[Gregory Sager]

After seeing NPU play a couple of times now, several things are pretty clear:
- The talent level has been SIGNIFICANTLY upgraded from seasons past. They are clearly one of the Top 4 most talented teams in the CCIW. They might be the most overall athletic team in the league.
- They play really hard. Only Elmhurst (of the last few years) plays harder/more aggressive than the Vikes.
- They are "old" and play like it - patient, physical, and willing to attack matchups one on one.
- There will be nights when Marquise Jackson is the best player in the league and nights when he's "playing for the other team" (will absolutely kill the Vikes with selfish and out of control play).
- The light blue "Chicago" uniforms (which plenty of people don't like) are fine - they WILL take a while for people to get used to.
- This will be a VERY hard team for NPU fans to like - loud, obnoxious, undisciplined and willing to tell you how good they are and how much you suck. This team is such an outlier in NPU/CCIW norms that it will be shocking to most people.
- I watched 4 players warm up with headphones on and their best player spend the entire pre-game warming up in an undershirt/t-shirt (only to put his jersey on just prior to starting lineup introductions on the bench). These guys watch WAAAAAAAY too many NBA games and think they can do this as well (for the record - NBA players are allowed to do that up to 30 minutes prior to tip-off... then they are fined after that).
- HC Sean Smith has assembled a squad players (3 of whom have been  - in addition to several other transfers) that will require strong discipline and leadership...things that a majority of 1st head coaches struggle with.
- NPU can easily finish 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in the conference race this season.

Some of this (both good and bad) is just one person's opinion, and should be regarded as such.

Some of this is pointless trivia; nobody other than you cares who is wearing what in the layup line, and I see plenty of players nowadays wearing headphones during shootarounds.

Some of it is hyperbole. There are a couple of prominent trash talkers on the Vikings, but to insinuate that the entire team is like that is ridiculous exaggeration. And, no, this will not be "a VERY hard team for NPU fans to like," nor is this team "such an outlier in NPU/CCIW norms that it will be shocking to most people."

But one statement in particular, which Pat has already excised, is an outright calumny. You've been wrong before, but this time you've stepped over the line from being merely incorrect to making accusations that are not only wrong, they're defamatory.

[Gregory Sager]

In one of the more surprising scores I've seen in recent days, Augustana took visiting Wash U literally right down to the final buzzer before succumbing, 70-69.

I am not sure why that score ranks as one of the more surprising.

You should check out the latest Darryl Nester posts.

Fair enough. I should've said "more surprising midwestern scores I've seen in recent days."

As for Augustana, they trailed Whitewater by one possession with 0:04 left and Platteville by one possession with a minute or so left in the game.

Each of those games could have pivoted in the other direction quite quickly.

UWW isn't wowing anybody at the moment, although, having seen them a couple of times now, I can envision some definite in-season growth potential for the Warhawks. I haven't seen UW-Platteville, so I can't comment on them other than about what's already in agate. More to the point, I just haven't been impressed by Augustana at all (and I've seen three of the games played to date by the Rock Islanders), aside from the big fella in the middle, of course. The weird (and kinda funny) thing about this is that we seem to have revolved to taking each other's position; I was high on AC and you doubted them, and now I'm down on AC and you seem to be saying that Augie's a team capable of going toe-to-toe with heavyweights (or at least light-heavyweights).

And Washington University is a lot like Augustana.  Mostly freshmen and sophomores with one veteran.

... which provides some context for the rather up-and-down start to the season for your Bears.

Bottom line is that I need to start following my own advice about not taking November polls too seriously.

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats to Marquise Jackson upon being named CCIW POW. It's disconcerting, and aggravating as well, to realize that NPU hasn't had a POW award since Colin Lake won one five years ago. But that's all in the rear-view mirror now.