MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Massey, a computer poll, has 5 CCIW teams in the Top 25...

http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&yr=2009&sub=III&mid=6

#1 Wheaton
#12 Augustana
#17 Elmhurst
#19 Carthage
#25 North Central

The rest of the league is:

#48 Millikin
#56 Illinois Wesleyan
#61 North Park

As far as conferences go, it has the CCIW #1...

http://www.masseyratings.com/rate.php?lg=cb&yr=2009&sub=III&mid=6#conf

[stage whisper]

Pssst! Make sure nobody tells OxyBob.

[/stage whisper]

[Gregory Sager]

In light of last night's Millikin win over Knox in the 2008-09 CCIW regular-season finale for non-conference games:

CCIW OVERALL:    71-17 (.807)

CCIW vs. D1	1-1
CCIW vs. NAIA-1	1-3
CCIW vs. NAIA-2:	4-1
CCIW vs. USCAA:	2-0
CCIW vs. other:	1-0
CCIW vs. D3:	62-12 (.838)
...	vs. D3 non-region:	10-2
...	vs. D3 region:	52-10 (.839)
...	...	vs. ASC:	1-0
...	...	vs. HCAC:	7-1
...	...	vs. IIAC:	8-0
...	...	vs. MIAA:	1-0	(4-0 overall)
...	...	vs. MIAC:	1-0
...	...	vs. MWC:	8-1
...	...	vs. NAthCon:	9-0
...	...	vs. SCIAC:	2-1
...	...	vs. SLIAC:	8-0
...	...	vs. UAA:	4-3	(5-3 overall)
...	...	vs. UMAC	1-0
...	...	vs. WIAC:	2-4

This season will definitely set the new standard in terms of winning percentage for the CCIW in non-con games. Even if the CCIW were to get three teams into the D3 tourney and all three of them lost their first games, saddling the league with an extremely unlikely 0-3 postseason, the CCIW would still finish well above the previous best of .750 set in 2000-01. That season also produced the all-time high for cumulative non-conference wins, as the league went 75-25 that year, so the CCIW's collective post-season target this season is four wins in the big dance to tie the record and five to break it.

The CCIW will also set a new record for fewest non-conference losses. In the regular season the league has lost 17 non-conference games; the previous overall (regular season and postseason combined) record for fewest losses is 23, set two seasons ago.

[Pat Coleman]

[stage whisper]

Pssst! Make sure nobody tells OxyBob.

[/stage whisper]

The computer's biased. It's been listening to Sager and Q spout off about how superior the CCIW is and it's affected its voting.

[AndOne]

A computer with ears?

[sac]

A computer with ears?

[AndOne]

A computer with ears?

Overwhelming evidence!

[Gregory Sager]

A computer with ears?

Overwhelming evidence!

Why does Ken Massey have a cartoon banana as his screensaver?

On second thought, I'm not really sure that I want to know.

[andrewmp]

A computer with ears?

Overwhelming evidence!

Why does Ken Massey have a cartoon banana as his screensaver?

On second thought, I'm not really sure that I want to know.

Maybe his spoon is too big?

[REDMENFAN]

Good article in the Kenosha News today previewing the Carthage/Wheaton game.  Good quotes from both coach's, as well as a conversation between Wheaton's coach and Bosko's daughter. Its a nice quick read

http://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/carthage_looks_to_knock_off_topranked_wheaton_tonight_4222403.html

[April]

Good article in the Kenosha News today previewing the Carthage/Wheaton game.  Good quotes from both coach's, as well as a conversation between Wheaton's coach and Bosko's daughter. Its a nice quick read

http://www.kenoshanews.com/sports/carthage_looks_to_knock_off_topranked_wheaton_tonight_4222403.html

Hehe! That is one seriously funny quote from Coach Harris.

[Naperick]

Also a big game tonight at R.A. Faganal as the Bluejays host North Central College.  It may be early to call it a big game but these two teams could be fighting it out for the last spot of the CCIW tourney in about 4 weeks.

[sac]

A computer with ears?

Overwhelming evidence!

Why does Ken Massey have a cartoon banana as his screensaver?

On second thought, I'm not really sure that I want to know.

Maybe his spoon is too big?

Do you think anyone else got that?

[andrewmp]

Also a big game tonight at R.A. Faganal as the Bluejays host North Central College.  It may be early to call it a big game but these two teams could be fighting it out for the last spot of the CCIW tourney in about 4 weeks.

Of course, the season is far from over, but I would say that these two teams are really jockeying for any position, not just 4th.  If Carthage loses tonight to Wheaton, then there really is a very tight race.  Going into tonight, this is how I see each team's positioning:
1. Obviously the strongest postion because they are undeafeated.  However, the loss of Raymond and the more difficult second half schedule (road games against carthage, Augie, Elmhurst, IWU) makes this conference up for grabs.
2. North Central - Their three wins come against the three bottom teams in the conference.  They have essentially played the same schedule as the Thunder, except they went on the road an lost against Augie, and it wasn't that close of a game.  However, if they have their continued success against Wheaton, they will b right in the mix.
3. Carthage - A home loss to IWU puts them in more of a shakey situation, because they still have to go to the Shirk to play them there.  However, if they can win tonight, they will have done something that Augie was unable to do, and puts them a leg up.
4. Augustana - The are 1-2 against the three teams above them.  Gutting out that win against Elmhurst has proven to be very importan for them at this stage, pretty much putting them ahead of Elmhurst and into the fourth spot.  Millikin gave Augie trouble last year, and tonight we will see if that is the case again.
5. Elmhurst - 2 tough loss, by one point and in double overtime.  IWU was their best game yet in conference, but they have some ground to make up.  A win tonight could put them in a tie for third.
6. IWU - I put them above Millikin right now because they have beaten a team with a better conference record than did millikan (means little right now).  They also have ground to make up, and looks right now to be a little too turnover prone to win on a consistent basis.  Should pick up a win tonight, but struggled with NPU last year.
7. Strong win against Elmhurst, but hasn't matched up well with others.  If they beat Augie tonight, they will still be in the conversation.
8. NPU - at 0-5, it seems like they are on the outside looking in.  They can only sustain one more loss the rest of the season to have a winning record.  It seems to me unlikely that they can get to that point this season, with too much inexperience.  I think they will pick up some wins soon, especially as the youngsters get used to CCIW play and speed, but they are just too much in a whole to dig out of and get into the conference tournament.

So I think you have a 5 team race, with 2 other teams that can very easily get right back ito the mix with some key wins.  

[andrewmp]

A computer with ears?

Overwhelming evidence!

Why does Ken Massey have a cartoon banana as his screensaver?

On second thought, I'm not really sure that I want to know.

Maybe his spoon is too big?

Do you think anyone else got that?

I was wondering if some people would think it to be something inapropriate after there were no comments.  It seems the board has been a little slow these past few days.  Wonder if other things going on has something to do with it.

[Gregory Sager]

A computer with ears?

Overwhelming evidence!

Why does Ken Massey have a cartoon banana as his screensaver?

On second thought, I'm not really sure that I want to know.

Maybe his spoon is too big?

Do you think anyone else got that?

I didn't, but I'll take a stab at it and guess that it might have something to do with this.