MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Here is the Wash U Lopata Classic program...

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/mensbball/Lopata.pdf


Wash U SID Chris Mitchell is one of the best in the business...and that is apparently how he reeled his new bride MaryAnn in.  She is Duke and he is Eastern Illinois.  Chicks dig SID's though.

[Titan Q]

Former IWU player John Camardella is mentioned in this Daily Herald piece...

http://basketball.dailyherald.com/story/?id=255679


Camardella said he's following the lead of his college coach, the legendary Dennie Bridges at Illinois Wesleyan.

"His mantra was the goal every year was to win the conference and play the toughest nonconference schedule you can," Camardella said. "If you have high aspirations you can't shy away from those teams.

"The kids know and I told them we're not looking to just ramp up wins. This will give us an honest shot to go somewhere and not just win a regional semifinal."

[Gregory Sager]

It's been quite a while since a CCIW team upended a D1 opponent. In fact, aside from Illinois Wesleyan's 67-64 win over Arizona in 1982-83 and North Park's 79-69 win over Jacksonville in 1978-79, I don't recall any CCIW wins over D1 opponents. Perhaps Dennis P. can think of some others.

Augie won at Western Illinois 76-71 in 2000-01...I know...it's Western Illinois...but they are D1.

I had forgotten that one, Dan. Thanks for pointing it out. Carthage SID Steve Marovich informed me last night that the Redmen took down Valparaiso in the late '70s (it was 77-76 in the opening game of the 1978-79 season -- I looked it up), so now we're up to five CCIW wins over D1 programs over the course of the league's history.

Here's the box from last night's NPU vs. CWRU game:

http://www.northpark.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/2008stats/12-5mbb.htm

Not a highly impressive win, although the Park was up by double digits most of the second half and they had to do it again without Stephano Jones, who is still under the weather. CWRU is not a good team. Still, it was good to see the Vikes shoot over 61% from the field, and Ro Russell's seven assists to only one turnover is as nice to see as Nick Williams's 26 points and Clayton Cahill's 19 points. Perhaps the biggest surprise in Angola last night was that homestanding Trine got knocked off by Indiana-Northwest. IUN has annually been one of the most glaring examples of a dog team in the Chicagoland area over the past ten years, but apparently that program has improved somewhat. Still, it made a bad night for the MIAA even worse.

The CCIW/MIAA Classic was very entertaining last night. It was also great fun to see former North Park All-Americans Justyne Monegain and Ernie Hubbard for the first time in decades, as they took in the first game behind the Carthage bench and enjoyed listening to the old master bellow at somebody else for a change. (Highlight of the night: Bosko's second-half scream at Shemerdiak's gaffe-prone defense: "Billy, I'm going to kill you!" As Pete McBride said, they probably heard that all the way over in the Beemer Center.)

Carthage carved up Hope like a Christmas goose. Memo to opposing coaches: Running two guards at Steve D. at the top of the key is an interesting idea, but "interesting" is not the same as "good". I think that the prevailing judgment of coaches that aren't familiar with Carthage is that Steve D. is an extremely gifted score-first ballhog, a la Allen Iverson, and that the best way to stop the Red Men is to thus force the ball out of his hands. What I don't think they realize is how great a passer Djurickovic is, and what splendid court vision he possesses. He was flinging dimes all over the building last night, as his ten assists demonstrated. Sean Fendley on the perimeter and Adam Stuart inside were his primary beneficiaries. I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention how impressed I was with the defensive job that Adam Tolo logged against Hope star Jesse Reimink, who was held to 16 after coming into the game averaging 23. Carthage looked like a much more dangerous team than I think any of us were prepared to contemplate coming into the game.

The Wheaton/Calvin game was about as physical a contest as I have seen in four or five years. As I remarked to somebody after the game, this must be how a school without a football team takes out its aggression. Lots of hard fouls, lots of chucks and elbows and flying bodies and such from both sides. Great fun to watch! I didn't see anything to dissuade me from my suspicion that Wheaton is the class of the league this year, but I was certainly impressed with Calvin's gumption. They never let the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance run away with the game, even though Wheaton is clearly the better team.

Calvin vs. Carthage should be a great one today, a contest between two vastly different teams. I wish I could say the same for Hope vs. Wheaton, but based upon what I saw last night that one has the makings of a massacre. I'm not going to bury Hope on the basis of having seen one game -- I have too much respect for Glenn Van Wieren and his ability to sharpen a team's performance over the course of a season -- but the Dutch just don't look like they have the horses to run with the big boys. And Wheaton is the CCIW/MIAA Classic version of the big boys this season. Then again, who'd have thought that Aurora could take Wash U to OT, or that Marian could beat Lawrence, or that Millikin could upend SIUE? Like the man said, that's why they play the games.

[Mr. Ypsi]

At the half in StL, WashU 46, IWU 43.

The Titans led (narrowly) most of the half, but a late run by the Bears turned a 3 point deficit into a 5 point lead.  Both teams shooting around 60%, with scoring from 9 different players each - obviously good depth!

[titanfan]

Final from St. Louis:

Wash U.  93
IWU    86

This was a pretty tight game the whole way.  Wash U. had a couple of runs where it looked like they might pull away, but the Titans answered.  At the 3:17 mark the Titans only trailed by 2 and at the one minute mark they only trailed by 4.  However, Tyler Nading made a couple of big shots and the Bears hit their free throws.

Travis Rosenkranz had a big game for the Titans with 20 points on 8-14 shooting, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Sean Johnson added 17 points, Doug Sexauer had 13, and Ed O'Callaghan was also in double digits with 10.

For the Bears, Tyler Nading had 20 points and 9 rebounds, Aaron Thompson added 16 points and 10 assists, and Freshman Dylan Richter of Stevenson High School scored 15 points on 7-8 shooting.

[old baseliner]

Great effort by the Titans this afternoon against a talented Wash U team.It looked like a couple times in the 2nd half that Wash U was getting ready to pull away but the Titans stayed with them the whole way.This will still be a good weekend if the Titans can come back tomorrow and play at the same level they played today against Wash U.

[mr_b]

North Park took the title game of the Trine Invitational (Ramada Inn Shootout) by defeating IU Northwest, 95-80.  Case Western edged host Trine 77-73 in the earlier consolation match-up.  Box scores are not available, but Nick Williams was listed as the tournament MVP, and Roshawn Russell was named to the all-tournament team.

Scoreboard on the Trine website

[bbfan44]

Wheaton came alive in the second half and beat Hope by a dozen.
KRay's 34 points set a game record breaking Lil Bosko's 33 set last night.
Panner finally found his touch hitting 4 threes in a row to start the 2nd half ending up with 20 plus in the half.
The infamous bald headed ref, one Mr. Jacobson, tee'd up Hopes coach, without so much as a moments hesitation.  Seems like the ref doesn't like to answer any questions...
Wiele went over 1000 points today for his career.
A surprisingly close game, and hard fought.
Nice job Wheaton.

[bbfan44]

To clarify, the 34 points by KRay is a game record for the CCIW/MIAA Challenge series.

[buf]

UWL takes down #3 Augustana, 61-54

[Titan Q]

Overall, I was extremely impressed with IWU's effort and performance today in St. Louis.  The Titans gave Wash U a good battle.

The big play of the game happened with 2:44 to play.  IWU trailed by just 3, 83-80, and Wash U had the ball with the shot clock winding down.  The Bears almost threw the ball out of bounds, but it was saved in by Cameron Smith to Tyler Nading with 2 seconds on the shot clock.  Nading was about 4 feet behind the 3-point line on the right wing, took a quick look around and realized his only option was to throw up a bomb...and he made it.  That shot put Wash U up 6.  Had he missed, the Titans - with the momentum at that point - get the ball in good shape. 

IWU could not stop the Bears for any consistent stretch.  Wash U shot 57% from the field.  They are just such a talented and well-coached team though - it is just incredibly hard to stop their offense.  Wash U will have some games this year where they come out flat or where they don't shoot it well (or both) and will lose, but when they come to play and are making shots, like today, they are very hard to beat.  Wash U was also helped by a huge game from freshman Dylan Richter, who is going to be a Division III All-American someday.

A lot of positives for the young IWU team today though.  The Titans shot 61% from the field against a very good defensive team, in a pretty hostile environment.  Point-guard Travis Rosenkranz was outstanding - 20 pts, 6 reb, 4 assists, and just 1 turnover.  Backcourt mate Sean Johnson had 17 points, 6-7 sophomore Doug Sexauer finished with 13, and 6-6 Edmond O'Callaghan had 10 & 5 off the bench.  Much like the Olivet Nazarene game though, the Titans just did not shoot the 3 well - 5-19 today.  Duncan Lawson, who is a very good 3-point shooter, missed 4 wide-open 3's, and if he makes 1 or 2 of them, it changes the game.  Several others missed open shots as well, but Duncan's were the ones that stayed with me, as they seemed to be in big spots.

I think anyone at the game today would agree that this was a game between two pretty evenly matched teams in terms of talent, with one just being older, more experienced, and more ready to win a game like this.  The Titans gained tremendous experience today, just as they did last year in a tough loss @ Wash U.  IWU is certainly not the favorite to win the CCIW this year, but the Titans are going make it tough on everyone they play in January and February.

[Titan Q]

Here is the Wash U release...

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/releases/mbk12-6-08.html

"Illinois Wesleyan is a well coached team. They are big, know how to play the game, and it is always a battle. A lot of our guys are friends with the Illinois Wesleyan players,  which makes it fun for both teams," said Washington University head coach Mark Edwards, who picked up his 484th career victory.
-----
With his team ahead by just three points, Nading hit what turned out to be the largest momentum changing shot of the game. With the shot clock inching towards zero, junior Cameron Smith nearly lost the ball out of bounds before making an athletic play to get the ball in to Nading. As the shot clock hit one, Nading fired off a three from four-feet behind the line, sinking the shot and putting the Bears up by three points.



And here is the Pantagraph article...

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/12/06/usports/doc493b366fc050e587906512.txt

Three-pointers from Aaron Thompson and Tyler Nading (a 28-footer with the shot clock nearing zero) presented Washington with a lead it would not relinquish.

"That's hard to overcome. But that's what basketball is, finding different ways to beat other teams," Bears' coach Mark Edwards said of Nading's key shot. "I was very impressed with how Wesleyan executed as a young team. They missed some shots at key moments, and we hit some shots at key moments."

[John Gleich]

For the second year in a row, UW La Crosse takes down Augustana:

La Crosse 61 #3 Augustana 54 BOX

Amazingly, Augustana's last basket was at 4:52, where they took a 53-49 lead.  La Crosse hit a 3 with 4:34 (their last basket).  La Crosse made 9 free throws the rest of the way, to Augustana's 1, and that provided the final margin.  I can't wait to read a report from someone who was there to find out about what looks like a very, very strange ending!

[Titan Q]

For the second year in a row, UW La Crosse takes down Augustana:

La Crosse 61 #3 Augustana 54 BOX

Amazingly, Augustana's last basket was at 4:52, where they took a 53-49 lead.  La Crosse hit a 3 with 4:34 (their last basket).  La Crosse made 9 free throws the rest of the way, to Augustana's 1, and that provided the final margin.  I can't wait to read a report from someone who was there to find out about what looks like a very, very strange ending!

It's always hard to put these early season, non-conference games in perspective, but this seems like a significant in-region loss for Augustana...one that will hurt come tournament time.

[Titan Q]

UW-La Crosse's results before tonight...

at Carroll •  W, 88-80     
at Wisconsin Lutheran •  L, 80-78     
Viterbo  W, 73-52     
St. Mary's (Minn.) •  W, 72-61     
at Elmhurst •  L, 67-54