MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Updated standings:

Wheaton 4-1
Carthage 4-1
Augustana 4-2
Elmhurst 3-2
North Central 3-2
Illinois Wesleyan 2-3
Millikin 1-4
North Park 0-6

Saturday:
Ill. Wesleyan @ Augustana 
Carthage @ North Central 
Elmhurst @ Wheaton 
North Park @ Millikin 

[Gregory Sager]

I can't for the life of me figure out what happened in Bloomington tonight. The usual NPU starting backcourt, Ro Russell and Clayton Cahill, didn't start. OK, I figured that Cahill's thigh injury still hadn't healed, but where was Russell? And where was Cahill's backup, DJ Cooper?  Predictably, North Park fell behind very quickly and was down by 21 at the half. Without Russell, Cahill, and Cooper, I was ready to take bets on whether the Vikings would lose by forty points or not.

Then, suddenly, with about 14 minutes left to go in the game and the Titans up by 20, Russell and Cooper suddenly appeared in the PBP. At first I figured that it was a mistake by the IWU table, but the PBP tally seemed to be pretty characteristic of Russell -- and it's not hard to mistake a diminutive point guard for somebody else when nobody else on the team is that small. Russell, who ended up scoring somewhere in the low double digits, did seem to provide something of a spark, but this isn't a North Park team that's going to come back from a 20-point deficit in someone else's gym. Give credit to IWU for not letting the Vikings go on a run once Russell came in. The two teams traded baskets, more or less, the rest of the way.

Phil Schniedermeier disappeared from the PBP after about a minute and a half into the second half. I hope that he didn't get hurt. Cooper really didn't do much once he did appear. Sean McNamee seemed to play well, too; the IWU Live Stats, which was messed up for most of the game, crashed completely at the end, so I don't know yet how much he scored, either.

Why did Russell and Cooper not get into the game until deep into the second half? Punishment? That doesn't seem likely; you typically either don't start a player as a punishment and then you put him in after a few minutes, or else you sit him for the entire game. My guess, and this is just a stab in the dark, is that for some reason Russell and Cooper missed the team bus and were driven to Bloomington in somebody's car, dressed frantically as the game was already well underway, and then finally appeared in the game with about fourteen minutes left. Until someone comes up with the definitive reason, that's the best guess I got.

Absolutely bizarre -- and very disappointing. I didn't think that NPU had a great shot at winning this game, but it would've been nice to see what would've happened if the Vikes had had Russell and Cooper there from the very beginning.

[Titan Q]

They totally shut down Steve D in the first half (2 points), but he got his season average in the second half.

In the first, Djurickovic just took what the Wheaton defense gave him...which basically amounted to a lot of opportunities to find open teamates (who could not knock down shots).  I thought he was actually very poised and effective in the 1st half...he should have had a ton of assists.  The shots Carthage was getting were good, but not great.

Immediately at the start of the 2nd half, it looked like Carthage better identified where the Wheaton help on S.D. was coming from (not just the first wave, but the second too) and he found teamates absolutely wide open for perimeter shots...which Carthage started to knock down.  Late in the half, Djurickovic took over for a little stretch with a couple really impressive drives to the basket.  On one he hit a 12 foot, baseline pull-up with a guy right in his face...another time it was a reverse layup.  He can just do so much with the ball in his hand.

The kid just does not belong in Division III...he is special at this level.

[titanhammer]

Why did Russell and Cooper not get into the game until deep into the second half? Punishment? That doesn't seem likely; you typically either don't start a player as a punishment and then you put him in after a few minutes, or else you sit him for the entire game. My guess, and this is just a stab in the dark, is that for some reason Russell and Cooper missed the team bus and were driven to Bloomington in somebody's car, dressed frantically as the game was already well underway, and then finally appeared in the game with about fourteen minutes left. Until someone comes up with the definitive reason, that's the best guess I got.

I was there the first half...Russell was sitting on the bench.  The scorer's table checked to make sure there wasn't a mistake and that #4 was the correct starter...not #2.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton deserved to lose at home tonight. The simple story of the game was allowing Carthage to score 39 pts in the second half after holding them to 16 in the first and Wheaton, an 80% ft shooting team, was 11-24 from the line for 46%. Carthage put them in the bonus with more than 8minutes to go in the game and then they committed several really dumb fouls, but Wheaton could not make a free throw. It's about defense and free throws and the THunder didn't play fundamental basketball tonight.

Wheaton must've done something right. The Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance held Steve D. to a season-low 17 points on 7-16 shooting, and Fendley to a woeful five points.

Yes but it was all in the 1st half. Steve D had just 2pts at the break and Carthage only 16. That's great defense. The problem is the game is 40 minutes and 15 pts for Steve D and 39 for Carthage combined with 11-24 from the line is not going to get it done against a CCIW team. Wheaton disappeared on defense in the second half.

Yes, but Carthage is a two-man team on offense. Djurickovic came into the game averaging 29.4 ppg and Fendley came in averaging 16.1 ppg. The next highest scorer, Adam Tolo, was waaay down there at only 6.1 ppg. Wheaton held Steve D. to a season-low 17, as I said -- and say what you want about his scoring his season average per half in the second stanza, it still took him an inefficient 16 shots to get that 17 for the night -- and Fendley was held to five points, 11 below his average. What's more, Fendley (the best long-distance shooter in the league) only went 1-5 from downtown and 2-9 from the field as a whole.

To put this into perspective, only one team -- UW-Platteville -- had previously been able to shut down the Carthage Daily Double. Steve D. and Fendley scored only 25 combined points against the Pioneers (Fendley was held to two points by UWP). The next-best effort against Djurickovic and Fendley was Augie's, who held them to 42 points on January 10. Wheaton held Djurickovic and Fendley to a combined season-low 22 points. That's phenomenal defense.

Yeah, it looks as though Wheaton lost this game at the FT line. But Wheaton put itself into position to win what turned out to be a one-point loss by doing what nobody else except UW-Platteville had done this year: Shut down the only two serious offensive weapons Carthage has. And Wheaton did it better than UWP did. In other words, as much as Wheaton shot itself in the foot at the charity stripe tonight, it also put itself in a position to win by playing defense above and beyond the call of duty.

[titanhammer]

Absolutely bizarre -- and very disappointing. I didn't think that NPU had a great shot at winning this game, but it would've been nice to see what would've happened if the Vikes had had Russell and Cooper there from the very beginning.

It's tough to say what would have happened, with IWU playing so many guys in the first half that haven't seen much action.

I really like Jordan Zimmer's nose for the ball.  He made some plays early in the first half that caught my attention...not just due to skill, but toughness and determination.

I will not attempt to assess their coaching ability, but I like the way the NP staff carries themselves during the game.  No feet stomping...no complaining about every call...just coaching their players and letting the officials know when they REALLY missed one (not a close call that could have gone either way) without showing them up.  That's just my observation from seeing them at the Shirk over the last few years.

The Elmhurst staff seemed to not complain as much this year, as they have in past years.  I guess that could have something to do with the way they were throttling the Titans....

[Titan Q]

Why did Russell and Cooper not get into the game until deep into the second half? Punishment? That doesn't seem likely; you typically either don't start a player as a punishment and then you put him in after a few minutes, or else you sit him for the entire game. My guess, and this is just a stab in the dark, is that for some reason Russell and Cooper missed the team bus and were driven to Bloomington in somebody's car, dressed frantically as the game was already well underway, and then finally appeared in the game with about fourteen minutes left. Until someone comes up with the definitive reason, that's the best guess I got.

I was there the first half...Russell was sitting on the bench.  The scorer's table checked to make sure there wasn't a mistake and that #4 was the correct starter...not #2.

Per Coach Stein, the NPU staff said that Roshawn Russell missed the team bus.  I assume that means he was being punished in the 1st half (because it sounds like he got to Bloomington on time, per Hammer).

[Titan Q]

Ron Rose went with a new starting lineup tonight...

G Travis Rosenkranz, 6-0 So
G Sean Johnson, 6-1 So
F Jordan Zimmer, 6-5 Fr
F John Koschnitzky, 6-6 Fr
C Doug Sexauer, 6-7 So


Zimmer moved in at the 3, and Koschnitzky slid to the 4.  The two freshmen played well tonight (34 pts, 9 reb).

That 10 assists/0 turnover game by Travis Rosenkranz sounds impressive.

[Gregory Sager]

They totally shut down Steve D in the first half (2 points), but he got his season average in the second half.

In the first, Djurickovic just took what the Wheaton defense gave him...which basically amounted to a lot of opportunities to find open teamates (who could not knock down shots).  I thought he was actually very poised and effective in the 1st half...he should have had a ton of assists.  The shots Carthage was getting were good, but not great.

Immediately at the start of the 2nd half, it looked like Carthage better identified where the Wheaton help on S.D. was coming from (not just the first wave, but the second too) and he found teamates absolutely wide open for perimeter shots...which Carthage started to knock down.  Late in the half, Djurickovic took over for a little stretch with a couple really impressive drives to the basket.  On one he hit a 12 foot, baseline pull-up with a guy right in his face...another time it was a reverse layup.  He can just do so much with the ball in his hand.

The kid just does not belong in Division III...he is special at this level.

Thanks, Bob. That does explain the flow of the game as far as Djurickovic is concerned, but it still makes the Wheaton defensive effort look pretty impressive. If I'm Bill Harris, my game plan is pretty much the same as everybody else's: Do everything that you can to take Steve D. and Fendley out of the scoring equation, and make Carthage come up with somebody else to beat you. Sounds like Wheaton did exactly that in the first half, and while nobody in D3 is going to suppress Steve D. for forty minutes, Wheaton at least made him work for it in the second half.

Only UW-Platteville and Trinity International () have held Carthage to a lower team FG% this season, and this was the fourth-worst game that Carthage has had from downtown as well.

Why did Russell and Cooper not get into the game until deep into the second half? Punishment? That doesn't seem likely; you typically either don't start a player as a punishment and then you put him in after a few minutes, or else you sit him for the entire game. My guess, and this is just a stab in the dark, is that for some reason Russell and Cooper missed the team bus and were driven to Bloomington in somebody's car, dressed frantically as the game was already well underway, and then finally appeared in the game with about fourteen minutes left. Until someone comes up with the definitive reason, that's the best guess I got.

I was there the first half...Russell was sitting on the bench.  The scorer's table checked to make sure there wasn't a mistake and that #4 was the correct starter...not #2.

Per Coach Stein, the NPU staff said that Roshawn Russell missed the team bus.  I assume that means he was being punished in the 1st half (because it sounds like he got to Bloomington on time, per Hammer).

Well, I guessed right on the cause, I suppose, but wrong on the coaching decision. I still think that sitting a player for 26 minutes and then playing him is a curious punishment, rather than the usual don't-start-him-but-bring-him-in-early or one-game suspension types of penalties, but I'm not the coach. Did Cooper miss the bus, too? He didn't appear in the PBP until the 12:00 mark of the second half.

At any rate, this is a good lesson for this young North Park team to learn: Nobody is above discipline, not even the star PG. If you're not in the parking lot when the bus is scheduled to leave, you pay the consequences.

Absolutely bizarre -- and very disappointing. I didn't think that NPU had a great shot at winning this game, but it would've been nice to see what would've happened if the Vikes had had Russell and Cooper there from the very beginning.

It's tough to say what would have happened, with IWU playing so many guys in the first half that haven't seen much action.

Perhaps, but Ron Rose has made it a point to play a very deep rotation this year -- and it didn't appear in the PBP that there were any unusual names cropping up on the IWU side of the ledger in the first half. Russell's absence, on the other hand, was catastrophic for the Vikings -- there's just nobody else on the NPU team besides Russell who can run the point except for Cahill, and Cahill sat out again with his thigh injury. NPU started a 5 (Schniedermeier), two 4s (Williams and Benson), a 3 (Greer) and a 2 (McNamee) tonight.

Again, I think that NPU was the decided underdog tonight. I picked the Titans to win in the pick'em, and I didn't give it a second thought; knowing that Cahill wasn't likely to play I would've predicted about an 8-to-12-point IWU win under normal circumstances. I'm not making excuses. But the Vikings were really playing with their hands tied behind their backs for that first 26 minutes of the game.

[usee]

They totally shut down Steve D in the first half (2 points), but he got his season average in the second half.

In the first, Djurickovic just took what the Wheaton defense gave him...which basically amounted to a lot of opportunities to find open teamates (who could not knock down shots).  I thought he was actually very poised and effective in the 1st half...he should have had a ton of assists.  The shots Carthage was getting were good, but not great.

Immediately at the start of the 2nd half, it looked like Carthage better identified where the Wheaton help on S.D. was coming from (not just the first wave, but the second too) and he found teamates absolutely wide open for perimeter shots...which Carthage started to knock down.  Late in the half, Djurickovic took over for a little stretch with a couple really impressive drives to the basket.  On one he hit a 12 foot, baseline pull-up with a guy right in his face...another time it was a reverse layup.  He can just do so much with the ball in his hand.

The kid just does not belong in Division III...he is special at this level.

I agree with your assessment of Steve D. He made some ridiculous shots. He shot his first free throw with 10 min to go in the game. but i totally disagree with your assessment of the first half. The shot selection was a little better for Carthage but the reality is Carthage began hitting those shots in the second half. Carthage shot 23% in the first half and 56% in the second. The shots weren't any better in my view, they were just making them. In the case of steve D he was 1-7 in half one and 6-9 in half 2.

[thunderstruck88]

As if we needed further proof that the CCIW is a gauntlet and there are no gimmies, Carthage made Wheaton pay for falling asleep at the free-throw line tonight. Obviously a frustrating way to lose a basketball game when the defense was doing all it could and the offense was doing what it needed to do to draw fouls. The frustration was especially visible on the face of Senior Andy Wiele after the game, but the burden falls on the entire team to ice those FTs in clutch situations.

Yeah, it looks as though Wheaton lost this game at the FT line. But Wheaton put itself into position to win what turned out to be a one-point loss by doing what nobody else except UW-Platteville had done this year: Shut down the only two serious offensive weapons Carthage has. And Wheaton did it better than UWP did. In other words, as much as Wheaton shot itself in the foot at the charity stripe tonight, it also put itself in a position to win by playing defense above and beyond the call of duty.

That's exactly why I felt that Wheaton needed to pull this one out. It's not everyday you play such excellent shut-down defense, only to throw away the game at the line.

[Gregory Sager]

As if we needed further proof that the CCIW is a gauntlet and there are no gimmies, Carthage made Wheaton pay for falling asleep at the free-throw line tonight. Obviously a frustrating way to lose a basketball game when the defense was doing all it could and the offense was doing what it needed to do to draw fouls. The frustration was especially visible on the face of Senior Andy Wiele after the game, but the burden falls on the entire team to ice those FTs in clutch situations.

It does like as though the entire Wheaton team collapsed at the FT line:

player	prev FT totals	tonight
Wiele	23-39, .590	3-7, .429
Pflederer	9-12, .750	3-7, .429
Smith	8-12, .667	3-4, .750
Panner	41-48, .854	1-2, .500
McCrary	35-42, .833	1-2, .500
Carwell	15-21, .714	0-2, .000

Jahns was the only other Wheaton player to see action, and he didn't get to the line tonight.

Here's another interesting stat: In spite of Wheaton's lopsided size advantage, the hosts only outrebounded Carthage by one, 33-32.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but Augie beat Millikin in Rock Island, 51-43, in what was either a sterling defensive effort by both teams -- Augie shot .321 from the field, Millikin shot .314 -- or a brickfest. Chandlor Collins was the only Augie player to put up much of a statistical presence (12 pts, 11 rebs), although Bryant Voiles did grab nine caroms, while Tunde Ogunleye had 12 and 6 and Joscar Demby had 10 and 6 for MU.

[thundermike11]

It does like as though the entire Wheaton team collapsed at the FT line:

The worst part was that they only needed to shoot 13-24 (54%) to win

A very tough one to swallow, but Wheaton will bounce back.

[wheels81]

The free throw shooting or lack thereof was how Carthage stayed close in the rebounding category as Wheaton only got one offensive rebound from the bricks they were laying from the line. 
I thought the defense was very good but it appeared no one wanted to shoot from the outside and rightly so as Wiele was able to do what he wanted on the inside.  However, I think they so solely concentrated on that part that they may have missed some opportunities for Jahns who didn't take a 3 all game.

[Gregory Sager]

The NPU @ IWU box is here. Ro Russell must've looked pretty impressive once he did come into the game; he scored 19 points in about 15 minutes of action. McNamee had 12.

Just for kicks, here's the Carthage @ Wheaton box and the NCC @ Elmhurst box.