MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

That brings another point...can anyone shoot free throws other than Stevie D?  Free throws were ugly today from both teams.

Apparently the Titans can IF their backs are to the wall.

First 37 minutes: 4-9

Last 4 minutes: 9-10 (and 8-8 while the game was still at all in doubt)

[CCIWFAN3]

No...68% doesn't impressive me.  But it beat N.P.'s %. F.T's count just as much in the 1st minute as they do in the last minute...according to the last time I looked in the box scores.

[Gregory Sager]

I was at the game.  IWU just out hustle them ...epsecially on the boards.  Zimmer and Johnson were open against man and zone.  4 three's for each of them.  Two of the best arc shooters in the league and they are left wide open ...back to back posessions. N.P. would make a run and then do something really dumb with the ball or leave zimmer wide open and then the momentum would change again.  Russell played well.  williams had his moments. I know the shooting % was decent but N.P. had terrible shot selection.  IWU won because they hustle more and they played smarter.  I liked Russell thought. He had good decision making...can't say that for the rest.  At times N.P. looked like they just lost focus...on both ends of the floor.

Gee, I guess NPU was lucky just to finish within thirty points.

Sure, but I wanted to set the record straight. The Titans didn't shoot any better today than did the Vikings -- in fact, they shot ever-so-slightly worse from downtown -- except for at the free-throw line, which IMO was a major Achilles heel for NPU today.

Which is why I think the "gamble" is so significant.  As well as North Park played offensively, what if they had played more effective defense vs the Titans in the first 20 minutes?  There is no way to know what would have happened had NPU come out man-to-man, but I'm guessing the Titans wouldn't have shot better than that 58%.

You keep harping on this, Bob, but it doesn't change the overall picture. A gamble is a gamble. Brenegan rolled the dice and hoped that Wesleyan might balk at facing a defense the Titans never see. It failed, as they delivered against it. So it goes; that's why they're called "gambles." I've seen Brenegan switch in and out of zones against several teams this year that shoot the rock very well from outside in an attempt to cross up NPU's opposition. Sometimes it's worked, sometimes it hasn't.

Does this all necessarily mean that IWU would've shot any worse against a man D? No, although they probably would've. I'm not going to second-guess Brenegan's decision-making in this instance; no doubt there's other NPU fans who post here who will do that for me. My take on it is that it's sometimes worth it to gamble a little, especially in a forty-minute game in which you get plenty of chances to iron out what doesn't work. Plus, there's always the consideration that NPU stepped up its D in the second half precisely because the Vikes had dug themselves in a hole in that department in the first half and got chewed out for it at halftime. It's all counterfactuals, "what-ifs." I'm always more concerned with what actually happened in a game than with what might've happened.

In the end, the shooting stats were even. You didn't point that out in your first post, so I did. All I really wanted to do was to set the record straight.

[CCIWFAN3]

Being outrebounded 43-29 and giving up wide open 3's to Johnson and Zimmer...actually they were lucky:)

[Gregory Sager]

Being outrebounded 43-29 and giving up wide open 3's to Johnson and Zimmer...actually they were lucky:)

I'd hardly call a team that misses 11 of its 24 free throws and still comes within six points of one of the other contenders on that other contender's floor "lucky." Teams make their own luck, and to its discredit NPU did not make enough of it. But, hey, if you want to crap all over NPU, that's your business. All it does is: a) take some of the luster out of your Titans' win -- which doesn't strike me as fair to them -- and; b) give the Vikings more motivation.

[CCIWFAN3]

G.S. IWU out hustled and outrebounded NPU...that's just how it was.  Zimmer actually had 7 wide open 3's...so, it could have been a lot worse.  Zimmer's 8th arc shot was off the dribble and a bad shot:) Not my titans, I just watched the game cuz I love CCIW bball.  Ya want me to sugar coat it and say NPU really hustled and gave 100% on the boards? that would be crap.   Giving up 15 offensive rebounds probably won't happen again. 

[Titan Q]

All it does is: a) take some of the luster out of your Titans' win -- which doesn't strike me as fair to them -- and; b) give the Vikings more motivation.

CCIWFan3 is the father of a Wheaton player.

[Mr. Ypsi]

IF CCIWFAN3 is actually a neutral observer (I don't know), the comments are merely a personal opinion from one spectator.

IF CCIWFAN3 is actually a Titan fan (again, I don't know), please remember rule number one of a true fan - never demean the opponent (except as playful bantering trash talk between rivals).  If NPU is 'lousy', then that must make IWU only a half-step above lousy to win by 6 on their home court!

While Lou Holtz may have overdone it a bit, the attitude that every opponent is the Lakers and Celtics rolled into one is emotionally a good one: it magnifies the accomplishment if you win, and softens the blow if you lose!

EDIT: before posting, I note that Q has identified the poster.  *Nevermind.*  But I'll still post as my opinion for other posters.

[Titan Q]

Through 6 CCIW games, Doug Sexauer is 51-65 (.785) from the field.  The single-season CCIW record for FG% is (minimum 100 attempts)...

Brent Niebrugge (IWU '98): 103-150 (.687)


I gotta believe Doug is going to make a real run at that record.

[Gregory Sager]

G.S. IWU out hustled and outrebounded NPU...that's just how it was.  Zimmer actually had 7 wide open 3's...so, it could have been a lot worse.  Zimmer's 8th arc shot was off the dribble and a bad shot:) Not my titans, I just watched the game cuz I love CCIW bball.  Ya want me to sugar coat it and say NPU really hustled and gave 100% on the boards? that would be crap.   Giving up 15 offensive rebounds probably won't happen again. 

Not if they don't play a half's worth of zone, it won't. As I said earlier, offensive rebounds are often the undesired result of playing zone, because you can't maintain body contact with the person whom you're guarding in a zone and it's thus harder to box out.

Look, you say it could've been a lot worse for NPU today, because the Titans missed some open shots. Fine. The free-throw stats say it could've been a lot better for NPU today, too. I honestly don't care if you want to rip on the Vikings. It's no skin off my teeth. I have a pretty realistic view of where the Park's at this year; the Vikings are an unfinished product, a sophomore-dominated team that is still developing in several areas. Here's what I said to PointSpecial about NPU earlier this week:

Would you North Parkers say that NPU is playing good basketball... or are they just playing better than the teams they're playing (who aren't playing very well)?

I'm trying to decide if I should head down to Foster and Kedzie to see a game or not!

If you're expecting to see a polished, high-octane attack along the lines of your Kalsow/Bennett UWSP teams, PS, save yourself the trip. If you want to see a scrappy bunch of sophomores who are really just starting to spread their wings but who sputter frequently as they try to soar, then by all means come to the crackerbox and check out the Vikings.

I'm not wearing blue-and-gold glasses when it comes to this NPU team. They ain't the Lakers and the Celtics rolled into one, to use Chuck's analogy. At the same time, going on and on at length about NPU's ineptitude today and telling us that the Vikes were lucky -- which, as both Chuck and I have pointed out, really does a disservice to the Titans, who deserve better -- just doesn't square up with the numbers.

[CCIWFAN3]

G.S> I'm not gonna argue with you. I'm not bashing your team.  I would bet $ Paul is preaching about rebounding after 2nites game though.  No matter what defense ...weak side better find a body on the boards.  Like I said Russell was good in back court, and I forgot to mention Doug S. was a stud on the boards. He's earned my respect this year.  I would say that I was impressed with how athletic NPU is, but I don't want u guys to get on a roll about the definition of "athletic"

[Titan Q]

Through 6 CCIW games, Doug Sexauer is 51-65 (.785) from the field.  The single-season CCIW record for FG% is (minimum 100 attempts)...

Brent Niebrugge (IWU '98): 103-150 (.687)


I gotta believe Doug is going to make a real run at that record.

Checked IWU's single-season (all games, not just CCIW) records as well...

1. Brent Niebrugge ('96-97): 165-257 (.642)
2. Brent Niebrugge ('97-98): 208-326 (.638)

Right now on the season Sexauer is 121-184 (.658).

The amazing thing is that Brent Niebrugge (Teutopolis H.S.) was a 6-3 kid who couldn't jump...and never scored a basket anywhere but right around the hoop.  (Would occassionally shoot a 12 foot jump shot and make it, but it wasn't pretty.)  Best hands and footwork I've ever seen.

[Gregory Sager]

The amazing thing is that Brent Niebrugge (Teutopolis H.S.) was a 6-3 kid who couldn't jump...and never scored a basket anywhere but right around the hoop.  (Would occassionally shoot a 12 foot jump shot and make it, but it wasn't pretty.)  Best hands and footwork I've ever seen.

The really amazing thing about Niebrugge is that he's shrunk an inch while still in his early thirties.

[Titan Q]

The amazing thing is that Brent Niebrugge (Teutopolis H.S.) was a 6-3 kid who couldn't jump...and never scored a basket anywhere but right around the hoop.  (Would occassionally shoot a 12 foot jump shot and make it, but it wasn't pretty.)  Best hands and footwork I've ever seen.

The really amazing thing about Niebrugge is that he's shrunk an inch while still in his early thirties.

Brent was 6-4 kinda like Seth Hubbard was 6-7.

[Gregory Sager]

The amazing thing is that Brent Niebrugge (Teutopolis H.S.) was a 6-3 kid who couldn't jump...and never scored a basket anywhere but right around the hoop.  (Would occassionally shoot a 12 foot jump shot and make it, but it wasn't pretty.)  Best hands and footwork I've ever seen.

The really amazing thing about Niebrugge is that he's shrunk an inch while still in his early thirties.

Brent was 6-4 kinda like Seth Hubbard was 6-7.

I know, just as Aaron Coleman was supposedly 6'3 when in fact he and I are at eye level and I know for certain that I'm no more than an eighth of an inch taller than six feet, at best. But Niebrugge's always been listed as 6'4, so I couldn't resist the chance to tweak you a little.