MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

You still write checks? Hey Greg, 1993 called and they want their method of payment back! ZING!

It's just easier than doing it online, because I always keep my checkbook in the drawer right next to my fountain pen and my abacus.

You're using a fountain pen now?!  I had you pegged for a turkey quill and ink well!

[titan2000]

Did UW-Plateville play Augie after they played their exhibition at Purdue?

[John Gleich]

You still write checks? Hey Greg, 1993 called and they want their method of payment back! ZING!

It's just easier than doing it online, because I always keep my checkbook in the drawer right next to my fountain pen and my abacus.

Well, that and the fact that your computer takes up half the room, but...

[petemcb]

You still write checks? Hey Greg, 1993 called and they want their method of payment back! ZING!

It's just easier than doing it online, because I always keep my checkbook in the drawer right next to my fountain pen and my abacus.

Well, that and the fact that your computer takes up half the room, but...

Cool!  Can you play pong on that computer?

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

You still write checks? Hey Greg, 1993 called and they want their method of payment back! ZING!

It's just easier than doing it online, because I always keep my checkbook in the drawer right next to my fountain pen and my abacus.

Well, that and the fact that your computer takes up half the room, but...

Cool!  Can you play pong on that computer?

Well yeah, but bring a snack because it takes an hour and a half for the hard drive to get the ball across the screen and back.

[Greek Tragedy]

It's just easier than doing it online, because I always keep my checkbook in the drawer right next to my fountain pen and my abacus.

When does the Pony Express come and pick up your mail?

Also, Greg...

How good is Dominican?  It seems like everyone and their mom is picking Dominican to win the NathCon this year...this after having a sub .500 last year (in conference).  Anyway, I know this is the CCIW board, but you did mention Dominican.  Feel free to post your response here or on the NathCon board.

[John Gleich]

I imagine so... but I'd think it would be pretty tough...  you'd have to slide in the corresponding punch card depending where the computer "hit" the ball...

(oo, he hit the ball left, where's that punch card...!)

[Mr. Ypsi]

I imagine so... but I'd think it would be pretty tough...  you'd have to slide in the corresponding punch card depending where the computer "hit" the ball...

(oo, he hit the ball left, where's that punch card...!)

Now I'm feeling like we're trying to make Greg feel!  My first computer experience was in grad school - using punch cards!  Geez, was that awful - one error on ANY card (or one card out of order), and the whole thing would not run and would not tell you why!  Any wonder I'm STILL a bit of a computer-phobe?

[AndOne]

I think Millikin is better than in recent years, but it's kind of a stretch to pick them 2nd IMHO. Maybe the guy in Wisconsin doesn't follow any of the CCIW but Carthage that closely.

I think picking Wheaton 7th is way off base as well, and I think Augie is at least a 1st division team. Dansand and I will have a rough season on this board, if Augie is 5th and doesn't even make the conference tourney.

Augie---

I think you are right about Millikin not being ready to finish 2nd quite yet. They are definately improved. As evidence of that fact I submit that many, if not all of the other CCIW schools would have loved to land some of the freshmen the Big Blue got this year. If you don't believe that, then you haven't done your homework. I think they will really be a force in a couple years when Gensler is a senior and this year's fine freshman class are juniors.

I also agree that Augie is a 1st division team (I personally picked them for 2nd place) and YES---U and Dan will certainly have a bit of a rough time here if they finish out of the money for the conference tourney.   

[dansand]

Did UW-Plateville play Augie after they played their exhibition at Purdue?

Yeah, they played them Saturday night. UWP played Purdue last Wednesday. The 2nd hand report I got was much the same as what Late Nite reported earlier. Augie's guards pretty much carried them, which I consider a positive since their back-court is a bigger question mark than the front-court going into the season.

Sounded like a very solid performance for Augie, but I'm not gonna get too worked up over a scrimmage. After all, last year, from what I hear, they got smoked by Aurora in a pre-season scrimmage and went on to have their best season in a dozen years.

[Titan Q]

Here is how I would handicap things as we near opening weekend.  I expect my thoughts will change as the non-conference schedule plays out.


1. North Central
2. Augustana
3. Wheaton
T4. Illinois Wesleyan
T4. Elmhurst
6. Millikin
7. Carthage
8. North Park


While I do think North Central should be considered the favorite to win the regular season championship, I wouldn't really be surprised if any of my top 5 (above) end up winning it.  NCC certainly is not as much of a favorite as IWU was at this time last year, and we all know how 2005-06 turned out.  The Titans finished 9-5 and 5 of the wins were decided in the final seconds (@ Carthage, @ Millikin - OT, vs Wheaton - OT, @ North Central, vs Elmhurst - OT).  The preseason #1 team in the nation was the #4 seed in the CCIW conference tournament. 

This North Central team, as I see it, is also not as heavily favored as the 2003-04 Augustana team featuring Drew Carstens, Jim Thomas, Shawn Clements, etc..  Like IWU in 2005-06, that Augie team was a unanimous pick in the coaches poll...and #9 in the D3hoops.com preseason Top 25  The Vikings (10-4) finished two games behind the young Illinois Wesleyan (12-2) nucleus of Dauksas, Amelianovich, Freeman, etc.
   

My general thoughts...

* North Central, Augustana, Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, and Elmhurst have the talent to contend for the title. 

* NCC obviously has huge backcourt questions to answer and they also need more depth than last year...at the end of the year, Raridon was basically playing 6. 

* Augustana needs to prove they can shoot the 3 consistently...their post game should be oustanding.

* Wheaton has a chance to be very good.  Their backcourt of Raymond/Panner should be great...they need the big guys to play well consistently.  Michael Fiddler has been a disappointment based on how he was billed coming in -- the Thunder need a big senior season out of him.

* IWU has one of the best post players in the country and plenty of other talent.  Post depth is the major question the Titans will have to answer...what happens when Z. Freeman leaves the game??

* Elmhurst is enormous down low with 6-9/255 Brent Ruch and 6-10/230 Nick Michael.  That is ridiculous size for Division III, especially considering how skilled those two big guys are.   Do the Jays have a couple perimeter threats who are ready to have big years?

* Millikin will be very dangerous and give the top 4 - whoever those actually turn out to be - a lot of trouble. I think the Big Blue have as much talent in their freshman/sophomore classes as any team in the CCIW.  Drew Gensler is awfully close to being as good as Kent Raymond.

* I see Carthage suffering from the same problems as years past -- chemistry issues and inability to find a consistent rotation.  That being said, the Red Men will knock off plenty of teams in Kenosha.

* By January, North Park will be much more competitive than the last few years.  Winning in Chicago will be difficult.

* I'd be willing to bet that no team goes 6-0 vs Millikin, Carthage, and North Park.

[Gregory Sager]

Greg, I saw no mention of Lenoir.  Was he around for the scrimmage, and how did he look?  I thought we might hear some big things about him.

He started, but was basically invisible (only one FG attempt, two points on 2-4 FT shooting, and four rebounds). That was one of the biggest disappointments of the scrimmage, considering his advance billing, but I didn't feel as though he should've been singled out. Every NPU big man (Lenoir, Jones, Ventura, and Woodside) had a poor scrimmage, not just him.

How good is Dominican?  It seems like everyone and their mom is picking Dominican to win the NathCon this year...this after having a sub .500 last year (in conference).  Anyway, I know this is the CCIW board, but you did mention Dominican.  Feel free to post your response here or on the NathCon board.

Dominican is good, very good by the standards of the two leagues that predate the NAthCon. Keep in mind, too, that last season's 13-13 Stars squad came on the heels of a 7-19 campaign the year before. That's a very strong leap for one season, so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the program just because it only went 6-8 in the LMC last year. I told Stars coach Mark White after the scrimmage that I expected his team to finish somewhere in the top three in the new league. I'll be very surprised if they don't. Same goes with Aurora, as I think Larry Welton has to be the odds-on favorite to win the first-ever NAthCon MVP award.

[Gregory Sager]

Here's the CCIW's opening weekend slate. This will no doubt scroll off by Friday, so I'll post it again that morning.

Friday, Nov. 17
St. Norbert (7-16) @ Augustana (23-6)
Illinois Wesleyan (25-7) vs. Clarke (17-10) *
East-West (?) @ North Central (22-6) +
North Park (4-21) @ Mount St. Joseph (16-11) %
Franklin (20-8) @ Wheaton (11-14) ^

Saturday, Nov. 18
Elmhurst (17-9) @ Simpson (13-14)
Illinois Wesleyan vs. Martin Luther (9-16) or @ UW-Whitewater (23-6) *
Millikin (10-15) @ MacMurray (9-16)
Bluffton (17-10) or Cardinal Stritch (1-1 in 2006-07) @ North Central +
North Park vs. Heidelberg (9-16) or Kalamazoo (11-16) %
Eastern (16-10) or Whitworth (20-7) @ Wheaton ^

* UWW Tip-Off Tourney
+ NCC Holiday Inn Select Tip-Off Tournament
% MSJ Franklin Savings Tip-off Tournament
^ WC Lee Pfund Tournament

[Titan Q]

An article from today's Pantagraph...

"IWU starting lineup set for basketball season opener"

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I like the "no guarantee on minutes"  Sure he's got a lot of new faces, but he could have at least said "outside of Zach's 39 minutes, there are no guarantees"