MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

PS - After writing this, I noticed the Millikin loss was to York (NY) by 20.  That is more surprising then the Elmhurst result.

Here is Millikin's CCIW record the last 8 seasons:

2008: 2-12
2007: 2-12
2006: 3-11
2005: 4-10
2004: 6-8
2003: 2-12
2002: 3-11
2001: 3-11

Millikin losing to some bad team by 20 is not a surprise to me.

Millikin beating a DI team (even if a new one)...now that is a surprise.

[augiefan]

Given their depleted lineup, I think NPU was pretty competitive against Augie last night. As Sager pointed out if the lesser Vikings had made 80% of their FTs, the better Vikings would have had to play their starters a lot later into the game.

Although the CCIW teams faltered a little this weekend in some of the final nonconference games, they did fine overall. The fun really begins next week as the conference season begins in earnest. Road wins this year are going to be very hard to come by, but hopefully this is a year that 3 CCIW teams make the DIII "big dance." Overall I still see Wheaton as the National champion this season due to Raymond and Weile, but the other CCIW teams are really going to make them earn it.

[Titan Q]

Speaking of Andy Wiele (19.0 ppg, 9.4 rpg), he missed his 5th consecutive game yesterday.  I've been assuming he'd be ready to go for the CCIW opener vs IWU, but yesterday on the WETN postgame show Bill Harris said, "We'll have to find a way to beat Illinois Wesleyan without Andy."

Anyone know what Wiele's timeframe is? 

[wheatonfanaddict]

Andy's last game was Webster (12/10) and the ortho told him to give it at least 4 to 5 weeks maybe more. He has been rehabing in a boot. Harris will not play him until he has a full clearance from the ortho. What is fun to watch is that Wheaton has not even missed a beat with him out. Imagine what it will be like when he returns!

[dansand]

Although the CCIW teams faltered a little this weekend in some of the final nonconference games, they did fine overall. The fun really begins next week as the conference season begins in earnest. Road wins this year are going to be very hard to come by, but hopefully this is a year that 3 CCIW teams make the DIII "big dance." Overall I still see Wheaton as the National champion this season due to Raymond and Weile, but the other CCIW teams are really going to make them earn it.

I'm not sure Thunder fans will be too thrilled with that endorsement after seeing your prediction from last year :

Wash U's Sean Wallis missed yesterday's game against Augie due to a knee injury that may keep him out the rest of the year. Wash U is not a Top 20 team without him, so the Augie win while gratifying is not particularly surprising. In fact Wash U lost a week ago to Calvin College and is now 2-2.

[usee]

Final score from Grinnell, Iowa

Wheaton 130
Grinnell 109

Looking forward to the CCIW!

Whats the odd's of Wheaton scoring 130 without hitting a 3?  Seriously, even against Grinnel.  Thats awesome!

On the season, Grinnell's opponents are averaging 105.6 points per game, and just over 2 made 3's per game.

http://wm.grinnell.edu/athletics/mbasketball/statistics/MBK0809/teamcume.htm

Yep....for those who remember, their style of play is very similar to the Loyola Marymount style from the early '90s.  Grinnell takes a ton of threes, but that leads to an awful lot of long rebounds, and thus odd-man breaks for the opposition.  In turn, lay-ups result instead of three point opportunities.

Freshman McCrary scores 32 (career high-average 6pts a game), Carwell scores 25 (career high-average 5.4 pts a game) and Wheaton shoots 80% (a school record) you can bet there was an abundance of uncontested layups. 

[usee]

Although the CCIW teams faltered a little this weekend in some of the final nonconference games, they did fine overall. The fun really begins next week as the conference season begins in earnest. Road wins this year are going to be very hard to come by, but hopefully this is a year that 3 CCIW teams make the DIII "big dance." Overall I still see Wheaton as the National champion this season due to Raymond and Weile, but the other CCIW teams are really going to make them earn it.

I'm not sure Thunder fans will be too thrilled with that endorsement after seeing your prediction from last year :

Wash U's Sean Wallis missed yesterday's game against Augie due to a knee injury that may keep him out the rest of the year. Wash U is not a Top 20 team without him, so the Augie win while gratifying is not particularly surprising. In fact Wash U lost a week ago to Calvin College and is now 2-2.

Good points DS. I for one, cringe at the mention of a Wheaton team in Salem. While this team may be the THunder's best chance to get there, the road through the next 14 games will be as difficult as any road to Salem for all the CCIW contenders.

I also wouldn't make the assumption that Wheaton will be better as soon as Wiele returns. Obviously he makes them a better team but a long layoff in the heart of the season isn't good for team chemistry or continuity. There will be growing pains upon Andy's return as he shakes off the rust and the team adjusts its style to get him the ball.

[almcguirejr]

Freshman McCrary scores 32 (career high-average 6pts a game), Carwell scores 25 (career high-average 5.4 pts a game) and Wheaton shoots 80% (a school record) you can bet there was an abundance of uncontested layups. 

Wheaton having 39 assists on 52 field goals leads one to believe you are correct.

[Titan Q]

What is fun to watch is that Wheaton has not even missed a beat with him out.

Have the Thunder really been tested without him though?

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/WTIL/mens/2009

Would anyone know if Wheaton has missed a beat or not, based on who they've played?

[wheatonfanaddict]

good news is Wednesday they will be tested. I am looking forward to it.

[Titan Q]

Here are the 3 IWU/Wheaton boxscores from last season:

Jan 23, @ IWU - http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/sports/mbb2008/IWUMBB16.HTM

Feb 16, @ WC - http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/sports/mbb2008/MWHE23.HTM

Feb 29, @ Aug - http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/sports/mbb2008/08CCIW01.HTM



IWU did a good job making Kent Raymond work hard for his points in all three games.  In the first Raymond was 6-13 from the field (17 pts), in the second 7-18 (17 pts), and in the conference tournament game he was 10-25 (34 points).  In that final game, 9 of Raymond's points came in the final :44, when IWU was in pretty firm control of the game (up 7 before the flurry)...despite the 34 points, I still think the Titans did a pretty good job on him that night.  In the three games combined, Raymond was 23-56 from the field (.410) and, again, I think Sean Dwyer and IWU at least made him work really hard for his points.

IWU lost 6-4 power forward Darius Gant (12.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, .559 FG), a 1st Team All-CCIW player, from the 9-5 squad of 2008 and replaced him with 6-7 sophomore Doug Sexauer (11.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, .535 FG).  Doug is a very different player than Darius, but he is one of the better back-to-the-basket low post threats in the league.  The other big difference from last year is that IWU does not start 3 guards any longer.  In 2008 they started 5-10 Sean Dwyer, 6-0 Travis Rosenkranz, and 6-1 Sean Johnson.  This year they start Rosenkranz and Johnson, with 6-6 freshman John Koschnitzky (9.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) at the small forward spot.  6-6 Koschnitzky and 6-7 Sexauer make the Titans much bigger (just as Wheaton is bigger with 6-6 McCrary in the lineup), and Koschnitzky adds a lot of versatility because he can play outside or inside.  Dwyer is IWU's most important player off the bench - he averages 22 minutes per game, comes in to guard the opponents best perimeter player, and is on the floor during all key moments down the stretch.  Sean has 42 assists to just 16 turnovers on the season.

My feeling is that this IWU team is better than last year's team at this stage.  Rosenkranz, Johnson, and Sexauer are a year older and stronger...freshmen Koschnitzky and Jordan Zimmer (8.0 ppg, 23-42 3-pt, .548) have added a lot...and just a lot more chemistry and confidence than when IWU entered league play last year.  Still, the '08-09 Titans were inconsistent during non-conference play, looking terrific for stretches during games and shaky during others.  Wednesday will be a great test to see where the Titans are.  I'd be surprised is it's not a really tight game throughout.

[AndOne]

What is fun to watch is that Wheaton has not even missed a beat with him out.

Have the Thunder really been tested without him though?

http://www.d3hoops.com/school/WTIL/mens/2009

Would anyone know if Wheaton has missed a beat or not, based on who they've played?

The combined record of Wheaton's, Augie's, and Elmhurst's opponents is a very pedestrian 142-183 which calculates to a winning percentage of only 43.7. Specifically, Wheaton's (D3Hoops #2, 10-0) opponent's are 42-64 (40.5 winning percentage), Elmhurst's (#7, 9-1) are 53-50 (51.4 percent), and Augie's (#9, 8-2) opponents to date are 47-69 (only 32.9 percent)!

* All three teams have played only 2 opponents who have won at least 3 more games than they have lost.

* Elmhurst has played 3 teams who have lost at least 3 more games than they have won, Wheaton 5, and Augie has played 7 such opponents. 

* As far as facing teams with "very good" or "outstanding" records, I think it can be said Elmhurst has faced 2 (Stevens Point & Wash U.), Augie 2 (Wash U. & Cornell), and Wheaton really has not faced any as the best record any of their opponents has attained so far is 7-4. 

While the won/lost records are outstanding, are they deserving of #2, #7, and #9 national rankings given the level of competition they've faced to date? Or, as has been suggested previously, are their current rankings based more on the respective school's basketball tradition, reputation, and recent conference championships, and tournament advancement? Perhaps, Wheaton, Elmhurst, and Augie have merely done what was expected for the most part. Elmhurst has, by far, the most outstanding win in knocking off then #1 Wash U. I think they also have a "good" loss to Stevens Point. Augie has a "good" loss to 9-1 Wash U., but the worst "bad" loss to 6-5 LaCrosse. Their last 4 opponents have a combined 8-30 record. Wheaton has merely has done what should be expected against a schedule wherein the best team they've faced is a mediocre 7-4.

While there is every reason to suspect and expect these 3 teams will occupy the top 3 rungs on the CCIW ladder when all is said and done, there is also the very real possibility that any of them can be knocked off by not only each other, but by the 5 other conference teams as well, on any given night. If any team manages to win the conference portion of the schedule by 2-3 games, then that team will most assuredly be one of the premier teams in the nation. 

Thanks for seconding my nomination, TQ.   

[augiefan]

I'm not sure Thunder fans will be too thrilled with that endorsement after seeing your prediction from last year :

I am not called the Board's Lou Holtz for nothing.  Quit blowing my cover Dansand. We want everyone to think the CCIW race is between Elmhurst and Wheaton.

[usee]

I am a little concerned about Wheaton's readiness for what will likely be a brutal CCIW slate. Wheaton's 8-0 record comes against teams with a combined record of 23-43.

AndOne,

Actually you were second! 

[AndOne]

I'm not sure Thunder fans will be too thrilled with that endorsement after seeing your prediction from last year :

I am not called the Board's Lou Holtz for nothing.  Quit blowing my cover Dansand. We want everyone to think the CCIW race is between Elmhurst and Wheaton.

Anxious to see Augie play and to see how they stack up against Wheaton and Elmhurst, both of which I've seen play already.

Wheaton's big two are, of course, Raymond & Wiele, and Elmhurst's are Ruch & Burks. Assuming they come relatively close to canceling each other out so to speak, it looks like, between these teams, which "big two" have a stronger supporting cast.

From what I've seen, I'd have to say its Wheaton. Panner is a top notch CCIW player, Carwell is a nice role player with his ability to rebound and his superior inside passing as evidenced by his having almost twice as many assists as TOs. Impressive for a big man. Jahns can fill it up from deep, and McCrary is a most impressive freshman, quite likely the best in the league. Pflederer has not developed as quickly, but can, at times, also contribute quality minutes.

I think Elmhurst's #3 is Strzemp, also a solid player who seems to have stepped up his game this year. Always a force on the boards, his shooting appears greatly improved. Bainter has a nice touch from the outside, but his ball handling needs improvement, and he seems to disappear at times. I see freshman Boyd has been starting and getting lots of PT, but I think this is a mistake. He has a nice overall FG percentage, but his 3 point percentage is only 15.4, and he has more than twice as many TOs as assists. I think EC would be a little stronger team if some of his minutes went to McCurdy or Childs. McCurdy seems to play with more intensity and adds a spark. This was evident in EC's great win over Wash U. His FG percentages are higher than Boyd's, particularly his 46.2 3 point percentage. Childs handles the ball well, and is a good shooter with a tendency to hit some very big shots. I think EC was hurt when some of their guards didn't return for one reason or another. 

I don't believe Augie has a "big" two that can compare with either Raymond & Wiele or Ruch & Burks, although they too are a quality team with veteran leadership and coaching. Their success may be in playing as a more cohesive unit rather than depending on one or two players as much. As I said, I'm anxious to see them play to get a better idea of just what they're made of. They no doubt are a quality unit.

And, I believe the other 5 teams are fully capable of knocking off any of the above 3 on any given night. From watching NCC extensively, i know they can do it, and I'd be very surprised if we don't see several other "surprises" during the season.
Again, all of this going to overall strength of CONFERENCE.