MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[HopeConvert]

Wow, that was a serious smackdown.  Doggies shooting 27% and 9% from treyland, outrebounded.

Rebounds were even at 31 apiece.

Guess NCC gets the easier game vs. AC at home Friday

"Easier" and "Augustana" don't belong in the same sentence. Anyone who thinks that Augie is going to play on Friday like they did tonight is kidding himself.

Augie is a good team that had a very bad night tonight. It happens. Doesn't mean that the Doggies are going to be a walkover on Friday.

True enough. But they remind me of Calvin this year: you keep expecting them to come up big, and they keep disappointing. After awhile you have to conclude they're just not as good as you think they are.

[iwu70]

Greg, Augie could rebound and, yes, play very tough in the tourney, but for them to play so badly tonight in a game that had some pretty important regional rankings and Pool C implications for them, well, just not very good, not exactly a stellar or promising performance.  They got pasted.  I think there's other stuff going on there, with the Coach and with the team chemistry, since the Scarlata departure, and they just haven't played all that well in the second half of the CCIW season.  Some key AC fans I know have admitted as much.  Their problems with putting the ball in the basket were surely in evidence tonight with those shooting percentages. Yes, good WC defense, but not only that.   Perhaps they'll give NCC a good game, but given how NCC is playing and now at home -- also with a great need for the AQ, though as you said, still likely in the Pool C bubble area -- well, I'd put my money on NCC over Augie by 10 points or more on Friday.  We'll see. 

(WC was leading in the rebounding category most of the game -- I made my post with a few minutes remaining in the game). 

Regular season in the books:  final standings = NCC, WC, IWU, AC.  We were all wrong about where AC would finish.  Two more tough games, pretty much for everyone, to get to the AQ and avoid waiting for Pool C decisions, rewards, or bursting bubbles.  I agree with TitansIWU, no easy path at all.  IWU will have to play their game, get good scoring from the perimeter, rebound the ball, keep constantly to their new defensive ethos . . . and get a few lucky breaks.  (Yes, I know I'm the only one on this board who believes in a little luck!).

(I actually stated earlier I thought it would be best for IWU to be seeded #4 and play NCC first on Friday, then face on Saturday, if they won, the winner of WC-AC.  Didn't work out that way, so we get WC first, then winner of NCC-AC.  Tough games either way.  You just gotta take your medicine, play your game and get through two tough games if at all possible).

Should be a great tournament.  (I'll be at the women's tournament at The Shirk). 

IWU70

[spencer1988]

Augustana looked uninspired.  I suspect Coach G's antics can wear kids down. 

Good luck to all four teams.  It should be a good tournament.

[Gregory Sager]

Greg, Augie could rebound and, yes, play very tough in the tourney, but for them to play so badly tonight in a game that had some pretty important regional rankings and Pool C implications for them, well, just not very good, not exactly a stellar or promising performance.

Well, duh.

Good teams have bad nights, and it even happens in big games. St. Thomas monkey-stomped Wooster last season in the D3 title contest, 78-54. I watched that game, and it was pretty reminiscent of what happened tonight. Does that mean that Wooster was a bad team? No. It means that the Fighting Scots had a bad day, and it just so happened to be the worst day of all to have a bad day.

Same thing with tonight. Don't make too big a deal out of it. As I said, anyone who thinks that Augie will be a walkover on Friday night is kidding himself. I can assure you that Todd Raridon is going to take Augie a lot more seriously than you seem to be.

They got pasted.  I think there's other stuff going on there, with the Coach and with the team chemistry, since the Scarlata departure,

Again with Scarlata? Come on. He's been gone since before Christmas.

and they just haven't played all that well in the second half of the CCIW season.

Yeah, the Doggies only went 5-2 in the second round-robin, including a win over Wesleyan and a loss @ North Central that went right down to the final buzzer. That's pretty darned horrible.

Some key AC fans I know have admitted as much.  Their problems with putting the ball in the basket were surely in evidence tonight with those shooting percentages. Yes, good WC defense, but not only that.   Perhaps they'll give NCC a good game, but given how NCC is playing and now at home -- also with a great need for the AQ, though as you said, still likely in the Pool C bubble area -- well, I'd put my money on NCC over Augie by 10 points or more on Friday.  We'll see.

You put much more stock in momentum than is warranted, '70. What you fail to realize is that every game begins with the score 0-0.

Know what Wheaton did after Augie had pasted it by 24 in Rock Island? The Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance turned right around four nights later and beat your Titans by 7, that's what. And what did Wesleyan do after getting smacked by NCC by 13 in the airplane hangar in January? Turned right around and went back to DuPage County four nights later and buried an Elmhurst team by 17 points that's usually very tough in its own building.

North Central is a solid favorite on Friday night. But to write off Augie for Friday night's game based upon what Augie did tonight just doesn't recognize the transitory, game-to-game nature of basketball. Good teams frequently bounce back after a loss, especially if the loss focuses them better in practice -- a trait TitansIWU recognized when he said:

If I had my choice, I am not sure who I would have IWU play.

North Central at home.... ugh.
Wheaton playing well and riding high....ugh.
Augustana angry and in a must win to get to tourney...ugh

Wow, that was a serious smackdown.  Doggies shooting 27% and 9% from treyland, outrebounded.

Rebounds were even at 31 apiece.

Guess NCC gets the easier game vs. AC at home Friday

"Easier" and "Augustana" don't belong in the same sentence. Anyone who thinks that Augie is going to play on Friday like they did tonight is kidding himself.

Augie is a good team that had a very bad night tonight. It happens. Doesn't mean that the Doggies are going to be a walkover on Friday.

True enough. But they remind me of Calvin this year: you keep expecting them to come up big, and they keep disappointing. After awhile you have to conclude they're just not as good as you think they are.

I'm really not expecting anything out of Augie at all. It's a team that has some flaws, and I've been one of the people who's been pointing out those flaws all season long. I just think that this rush to judgment against the Doggies based upon an ugly performance tonight is hasty and ill-advised.

[thunder38]

Greg you wouldn't happen to think that St. Thomas/Wooster game was a triple monkey stomp would ya? 

[Gregory Sager]

Greg you wouldn't happen to think that St. Thomas/Wooster game was a triple monkey stomp would ya? 

Nope. I only gave it a one-primate rating.

[AndOne]

So now NCC gets to play the team that some people seem pretty down on. Well, I'll tell you one thing--the Cardinals are not even close to taking a victory over Augie for granted. Home court or not, they know they have a very tough matchup ahead of them Friday night. Do I think they'll win? You bet, but I also think it will be a tough knock 'em down drag 'em out battle. There is very little separation between these 4 teams and no team in the conference tourney can be taken lightly. Wheaton thumped Augie this evening, but what do you call what Augie did to WC earlier in the season?

I'm sensing the CCIW conference tourney winner will be the team whose coaches best show their players where the holes are in their opponents offensive and defensive sets, and whose players play tough, and, especially smart to take advantage of those openings.     

[Titan Q]

We'll get new regional rankings today.  With the data through Sunday (last night's game in Wheaton won't factor in), I still think we will see Augustana get into the bottom of the Midwest ranking.

Will be interesting to see if that happens.

[NCF]

So now NCC gets to play the team that some people seem pretty down on. Well, I'll tell you one thing--the Cardinals are not even close to taking a victory over Augie for granted. Home court or not, they know they have a very tough matchup ahead of them Friday night. Do I think they'll win? You bet, but I also think it will be a tough knock 'em down drag 'em out battle. There is very little separation between these 4 teams and no team in the conference tourney can be taken lightly. Wheaton thumped Augie this evening, but what do you call what Augie did to WC earlier in the season?

I'm sensing the CCIW conference tourney winner will be the team whose coaches best show their players where the holes are in their opponents offensive and defensive sets, and whose players play tough, and, especially smart to take advantage of those openings.   

Agreed. The tournament should be exciting for the fans-stressful for the coaches. Good luck to the Cards!

[Dennis_Prikkel]

augiestana lost - tra-la, tra-la, tra-la 

[NCF]

augiestana lost - tra-la, tra-la, tra-la 

Don't get too happy yet-they are still in the tournament.

[Dennis_Prikkel]

augiestana lost - tra-la, tra-la, tra-la 

Don't get too happy yet-they are still in the tournament.

Which begs the question - did Coach G "tank" last night's game because his team matches up better against North Central.  And hoping that the winner of the Wheaton/Wesleyan matchup is too dog tired after a shootout / to give much of an effort in saturday night's championship game.

Just a thought - I don't like Augiestana very much - so I think conspiracy. 

[AndOne]

I noticed Augie rec'd a bench tech in each of its last two games.
I assume these were somehow called against Mr. Giovanine.
However, just wondering if anyone can provide any details.
Were they earned for the coat toss, the stomp, the wave off, or some new maneuver?
Hoping for an encore Friday night! 

[thunder38]

I noticed Augie rec'd a bench tech in each of its last two games.
I assume these were somehow called against Mr. Giovanine.
However, just wondering if anyone can provide any details.
Were they earned for the coat toss, the stomp, the wave off, or some new maneuver?
Hoping for an encore Friday night! 

The bench tech was indeed Grey's.

With a few minutes left there was a double foul called during a loose ball to which the crowd was yelling about.  Well when the signal was given, the crowd quieted a bit, and GG picked that inopportune time to yell a throaty, "that's bull****" amidst a quiet gym.  Pretty much a no-brainer at that point.  I think he was pining for the toss with a two minutes left with he was giving the officials an earfull about the length of a time-out.

[WheatonFanChris]

Last night's T on Giovanine was for a loud BS directed at the refs. He was actually pretty subdued for most of the game based on the scoreline however.

Also, there was a cheer from the students last night that is sure to entertain or irk some in this room. "Worse than North Park" went on for a while. Regardless of that, it was good to see a semi full King Arena on a Tuesday, the fans were up for the game and knew what was at stake.