MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[usee]

Wheaton leads Husson by a bundle at the half. should close out with a win and enter conf play at 9-2.

My impression has been that WC has averaged around 80% at the free throw line the  last few years and this year it is hovering around 70%.  For a team that it is rebuilding and developing young players to complement their established players that could be a a make it or break it  factor in these close intense league games.  Congrats to the Thunder to stay focused enough over a holiday break to defeat 2 beatable foes in preparation for a  no holds barred CCIW season.  They will break some hearts while fighting for  the fourth  spot in the conference tournament.  With some maturity they appear ready to do some damage in that context. I  would caution against ruling them out as a  top four finisher in the league, and as there rookies mature  they may be tough to beat at season's end. What say all you CCIW gurus?

Wheaton is shooting 71.8% from the line through 10 games this year. Last year they shot 72.8%, in 08-09 they shot 73.3%. I don't see the issue.

I think Wheaton is capable of finishing anywhere from 1st to 4th in the league. They are playing some very solid defense and have done a nice job on the defensive boards. If you can play solid defense and rebound the ball you should be in most games in CCIW play. The young guards for the Thunder have really provided some solid play so far. If coach schauer can get quality minutes from 8-9 players while leading the league in defense they should be in good shape against everybody.we'll see if that holds up in conf play.

[Titan Q]

First 4 games for each CCIW team...

Augustana
1/5, @ North Park
1/8, vs Elmhurst
1/12, vs Wheaton
1/15, @ Carthage

Carthage
1/5, @ Wheaton
1/8, vs Illinois Wesleyan
1/12, @ Elmhurst
1/15, vs Augustana

Elmhurst
1/5, vs Millikin
1/8, @ Augustana
1/12, vs Carthage
1/15, @ Illinois Wesleyan

Illinois Wesleyan
1/5, vs North Central
1/8, @ Carthage
1/12, @ Millikin
1/15, vs Elmhurst

Millikin
1/5, @ Elmhurst
1/8, @ North Park
1/12, vs Illinois Wesleyan
1/15, @ North Central

North Central
1/5, @ Illinois Wesleyan
1/8, vs Wheaton
1/12, @ North Park
1/15, vs Millikin

North Park
1/5, vs Augustana
1/8, vs Millikin
1/12, vs North Central
1/15, @ Wheaton

Wheaton
1/5, vs Carthage
1/8, @ North Central
1/12, @ Augustana
1/15, vs North Park


Game that jump out at me...

* Augustana @ North Park (1/5) - NPU has a lot of talent and depth, but did not have a good non-conference season.  We'll see what Vikings take the floor in CCIW play.  A home win in the opener puts the Vikings in the mix.

* Carthage @ Wheaton (1/5) - All home games are "must win" if you want to win the league, and Wheaton gets one right off the bat with the defending champs (12-2), and preseason favorite.

* Illinois Wesleyan @ Carthage (1/8) - The teams picked 1 & 2 in the preseason poll square off in a huge early battle.  These two went 2-2 last year, with IWU winning the NCAA Sweet 16 game @ UW-Stevens Point.

* Wheaton @ North Central (1/8) - Wheaton has lost 6 in a row vs the Cardinals in Naperville, despite finishing higher in the standings in 5 of those 6 seasons (some years 4+ games higher).  

* Wheaton @ Augustana (1/12) - Obviously a matchup a two teams expected to contend.  How will the Thunder deal with all of that Augie size?

* Augustana @ Carthage (1/15) - Always entertaining when Bosko and Coach G square off...on top of that, the Vikings might enter this game ranked in the top 10 nationally, and undefeated.

[OurHouse]

One item remains outstanding from the 2010.  Does anyone know if and where Taylor Baxter transferred?  At last point of reference, it appeared he had narrowed his decision to Loras and Illinois Wesleyan.   

This should be settled in the next couple of days.  As recently as yesterday, it seemed like it was still a 50/50 thing between IWU and Loras.  Either way this ends up, I won't be surprised at all.

In addition to leaving the D1 full scholarship at NDSU I know he also recently turned down a full ride to NAIA St. Francis (head coach John Baines).

Are NAIA schools that much better or have better programs? I don't think so..
Just because he turned down an NAIA school doesn't mean he's the bomb - if he turned down a full ride offer from Syracuse, then we're talking....

[Titan Q]

An article on Stevens Point, but one most D3 fans will appreciate...

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/basketball-could-use-a-few-pointers-112593354.html

[Titan Q]

Carthage @ Transylvania, video and live stats...

http://transy.nmtvsports.com/(S(taz3uhlovjfrjkt1n1qtmcot))/sportzcastplayer.aspx

http://www.transy.edu/athletics/go/tas/xlive.htm

[Titan Q]

Watching the Carthage game, it's hard to believe the physical shape that Tyler Pierce is in.  He's got to be at least 40 pounds too heavy...and at least 25 pounds heavier than last year.  

He may have another all-CCIW season, who knows, but you really have to question what kind of kid goes home and packs on the lbs (as opposed to all of the CCIW guys who work their tails off in the summer).

Raul Guzman just checked in and he is huge (in a bad way) as well.

[Mr. Ypsi]

At the half: Transy 40, Carthage 32.

[Titan Q]

Final:

Transylvania 75
Carthage 66


Carthage looked absolutely awful.  The Red Men will have to turn things around very quickly if they're going to contend for the CCIW title.

Carthage no longer has a decent chance at a Pool C bid should they finish 10-4.

[Viking Mike]

Meanwhile.......Augustana goes to 11-0 with a hard fought 62-56 win @ U of Chicago!

Augie outscored the Maroons 27-10 in the last 10 min to erase a 10 point deficit and win going away.
Sounds like the Vikes struggled with shootingm,  but their defense rescued them in the end.

Way to go Augie!

Now to the CCIW season!

[Titan Q]

Meanwhile.......Augustana goes to 11-0 with a hard fought 62-56 win @ U of Chicago!

Augie outscored the Maroons 27-10 in the last 10 min to erase a 10 point deficit and win going away.
Sounds like the Vikes struggled with shootingm,  but their defense rescued them in the end.

Way to go Augie!

Now to the CCIW season!

I looked at the live stats once and it looked like Brian DeSimone was not listed.  Did I miss something, or is he out?

[Titan Q]

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2011/1/2/Mens_Basketball_0102115806.aspx

"After the first five or six minutes," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic, "we never had control of the basketball game. If you don't have control, it's a very difficult game to play. We're not a tough-enough on-the-ball basketball team. Until we get that corrected, we're going to be an up-and-down team. This time last year, we were 8-3 and not really expected to do much in the CCIW. We got off to a great start in January, and everything clicked. I don't know if this team is capable of doing that. I don't know that we're not capable, either. The fact of life is that we have to re-group and get ourselves on a better-competitive plane. Until we can stop people on a dribble-penetration, we're going to be a scuffling defensive team. We're also not getting to the boards anywhere near well enough. What we've done to ourselves now is to put a premium on the conference championship. There is very little likelihood that we're going to get an NCAA bid, but our goal right now is to compete for the league title. I have to come up with a plan to help us win basketball games, and we don't have any time to feel sorry for ourselves."

[Titan Q]

Pool C outlook...revised with Carthage loss today.


With 11-3 CCIW Record and 1-1 in CCIW Tournament
Augustana 22-4 (.846) - Lock
Illinois Wesleyan 20-6 (.769) - Lock
Wheaton 16-6 (.727) - Probable
Carthage 14-6 (.700) - Possible

With 10-4 CCIW Record and 1-1 in CCIW Tournament
Augustana 21-5 (.808) - Lock
Illinois Wesleyan 19-7 (.731) - Probable
Wheaton 15-7 (.682) - Not likely
Carthage 13-7 (.650) - Not likely

With 9-5 CCIW Record and 1-1 in the CCIW Tournament
Augustana 20-6 (.769) - Lock
Illinois Wesleyan 18-8 (.692) - Not likely
Wheaton 14-8 (.636) - No chance
Carthage 12-8 (.600) - No chance

(Obviously a team going 0-1 in the CCIW tournament changes the above.)

North Park, Elmhurst, North Central, and Millikin don't have any chance at a Pool C bid.

[Titan Q]

Augustana has not only put itself in position to be a lock Pool C (should they need it), but maybe more significantly, to be right in the middle of the sectional hosting mix.  If Augie wins the CCIW at 11-3, I believe it's very likely a sectional (Sweet 16, Elite 8 games) would end up in Rock Island.  A lot of variables go into that of course (travel, etc), but numbers-wise, Augie could make a tremendous case.

[AndOne]

Additional observations----

Not sure if the Bosko Healthy Eating Plan has had much of an effect yet, but this summer Pierce looked to be just a biscuit or two short of at least 250. He was certainly nowhere near the 230 he is listed as on the CC roster. If Pierce is at, or can get to his desired playing weight, he is another almost unstoppable force.

Watching the Carthage game, it's hard to believe the physical shape that Tyler Pierce is in.  He's got to be at least 40 pounds too heavy...and at least 25 pounds heavier than last year. 

He may have another all-CCIW season, who knows, but you really have to question what kind of kid goes home and packs on the lbs (as opposed to all of the CCIW guys who work their tails off in the summer).

Raul Guzman just checked in and he is huge (in a bad way) as well.

As I indicated back in October, Pierce's weight began to balloon as early as this summer when he looked to be more like 250 rather than the 230 he is listed as being on the Carthage roster. With summer league, followed by the start of practice this fall, and now almost 1/2 way through the season, I assumed he would be at or close to his listed playing weight by now. However, it appears from TQ's post that he could possibly be even heavier than he was this summer.
Guzman is listed as being 280, and looked every bit of it this summer. Based on what I heard about his habits during the time he was being recruited in high school, I considered the possibility of his being in playing shape by the start of the season remote. I'm a bit more surprised about Pierce though.
If Pierce and Guzman are 250-260 and 280 respectively, among other things, how can they beat anyone back on defense? Also, once they do manage to lumber down the floor and get into position, who in the league won't be able to go right around them as if their feet were nailed to the floor?   

[rvb909400]

Titan Q - Brian DeSimone did not make the trip since he was sick (per the Augie recap below).  You could tell he was getting sick during the games at St. Norbert - he was really dragging but gutted it out.

Link to Augie-Chicago recap:
http://www.augustana.edu/x23306.xml