MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[D-3 watcher]

Q, about St.Louis this weekend, we are staying at the casino so don't forget to bring some dough. Also, on Friday we will be golfing at Gateway National, a really nice track just north of the city. On Saturday we will be at Bellerive, home of future and past major championships. Bring plenty of extra rocks, there is some water issues you will have to deal with. If you are flying, I'll bring an extra set of sticks for you. Ever play Texas Hold Em?

[D-3 watcher]

And just to have some early action, and this is no reflection on how I want the game to end, but I'll take the Warhawks for a note. You got the game even, so do I get the 2 1/2 because I'm on the road?

[Titan Q]

Q, about St.Louis this weekend, we are staying at the casino so don't forget to bring some dough. Also, on Friday we will be golfing at Gateway National, a really nice track just north of the city. On Saturday we will be at Bellerive, home of future and past major championships. Bring plenty of extra rocks, there is some water issues you will have to deal with. If you are flying, I'll bring an extra set of sticks for you. Ever play Texas Hold Em?

Watcher, I will be ready for the casino, golf, and Hold 'em.  I'm not planning to need any extra Pro V1s or cash...but there is always the pro shop and ATMs should I run into a little trouble.

[Titan Q]

And just to have some early action, and this is no reflection on how I want the game to end, but I'll take the Warhawks for a note. You got the game even, so do I get the 2 1/2 because I'm on the road?

And no...I will not give you the Warhawks + 2.5.

[hopefan]

TQ, D3 Watcher, et al... Casinos, Casinos... hopefan's ears pick up.   

[D-3 watcher]

Come down and join us. Bring a good partner for golf, mine is pretty good.

[bopol]

#3 UW-Whitewater 74
Carthage 69

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2012/11/24/Mens_Basketball_1124124156.aspx


I watched a lot of this game online.  Carthage was on the verge of getting blown out of their own gym, trailing by 15 at halftime.  But the Red Men played very well in the 2nd half and almost came all the way back.  Carthage cut it to 2 with :58 left and then got a quick steal, so the Red Men had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.  I think Carthage would like to have that offensive possession back, however. Instead of attacking the basket and getting a good look at a 2 to tie the game, PG Donte Logan shot a fairly quick (early in the shot clock) 3-pointer from the left wing, which ended up being an airball.  Then after a Carthage offensive rebound and a scramble for the ball Logan ended up with the ball again with the shot clock winding down.  He shot another airball from the deep right wing area.  UW-Whitewater closed the game out at the FT line.

I didn't see the game, but generally, Donte Logan taking a 3 for the lead doesn't strike me as a bad plan.  He's a good shooter.  Now, if he took the shot with 2 UWW guys draped on him and Luke Johnson standing alone under the basket, well, then, maybe it wasn't the best plan.

Trust me...Donte Logan is future All-CCIW material.

BTW, has anyone heard anything else definitive on Malcom Kelly?

[Titan Q]

#3 UW-Whitewater 74
Carthage 69

http://athletics.carthage.edu/news/2012/11/24/Mens_Basketball_1124124156.aspx


I watched a lot of this game online.  Carthage was on the verge of getting blown out of their own gym, trailing by 15 at halftime.  But the Red Men played very well in the 2nd half and almost came all the way back.  Carthage cut it to 2 with :58 left and then got a quick steal, so the Red Men had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.  I think Carthage would like to have that offensive possession back, however. Instead of attacking the basket and getting a good look at a 2 to tie the game, PG Donte Logan shot a fairly quick (early in the shot clock) 3-pointer from the left wing, which ended up being an airball.  Then after a Carthage offensive rebound and a scramble for the ball Logan ended up with the ball again with the shot clock winding down.  He shot another airball from the deep right wing area.  UW-Whitewater closed the game out at the FT line.

I didn't see the game, but generally, Donte Logan taking a 3 for the lead doesn't strike me as a bad plan.  He's a good shooter.  Now, if he took the shot with 2 UWW guys draped on him and Luke Johnson standing alone under the basket, well, then, maybe it wasn't the best plan.

Trust me...Donte Logan is future All-CCIW material.

BTW, has anyone heard anything else definitive on Malcom Kelly?

I didn't mean to suggest that Donte Logan taking a game winner was a bad thing.  My beef was just that 1) it was too early in the shot clock, and 2) Carthage really made no attempt to get the ball into the lane or around the basket before shooting the 3.  A big part of the Carthage comeback was success in the paint - including a few baskets from Tyler Pierce, who looks better this year - and I really thought they should have tried to get it in there first.

And I agree - Donte Logan is a sure-bet future all-CCIW player.  Could be this year.  He is very good on both ends of the floor.

[kenoshamark]

Bob,

You mention Quardell Young being in the discussion of top D3 point guards...deserves to be pointed out that he is a local kid.  Not sure why he wasn't recruited by Carthage but sure seems like he would have been a fine addition.  Logan appears to be a very fine point guard and maybe that is the reason they didn't go after him.   I was surprised he ended up at Whitewater as I felt he had the talent to play at a higher level.   Certainly the team that should have been all over him was D2 Wisconsin Parkside (right down the road from Carthage). 

[iwu70]

Looking forward to the WI-WW - Titans game on Tuesday @The Shirk.  Sounds like a great challenge for the Titans.  Let's hope all the pieces start coming together and all the Titans play well this week.  Carthage gave WW a great game.

IWU70

[AndOne]

In a poorly officiated game in Naperville Sat night, the NCC Cardinals led wire to wire to post a 93-83 win against the visiting Carroll Pioneers.
The officiating was particularly offensive to the fans, coaches, and players alike due to its inconsistency. Initially, nothing short of drawing blood, or nearly doing so, resulted in a foul being whistled. A short while later, and for a majority of the game, about all the players on both sides had to do to draw a foul call, was breathe too heavily in the direction of the man they were guarding. If you're a fan of the "let 'em play" style of basketball, Saturday wasn't your kind of night. From courtside at one point, I heard a ref remark to one of the players that, "this game sure is taking a long time." The player's response was something close to "thats because you think you need to call a foul on every play." Four players fouled out, and 4 others each finished with 4 fouls. NCC was called for 25 fouls, and Carroll for 29.   

The game itself was highlighted by a dominating performance by NCC pre-season All-American Landon Gamble who finished with 25 points on 11 of 13 shooting before fouling out after only 20 minutes of action. Gamble displayed a deft touch, using both hands almost equally to deposit a combination of lay ups and baby hooks. Landon also tied with Aaron Tiknis for the team high in rebounds with 5. He was supported in the scoring column by Vince Kmiec with  15, Brandon Williams with 13, and Tiknis with 11. Pre-season All American Derek Raridon, who became the 10th leading scorer in NCC history in a victory over neighboring Aurora last Tues night, had an off night shooting, going only 2 for 6. However, he demonstrated another part of his his overall game by dishing out a game high 8 assists without committing a single turnover.

The Cardinals led by 8 at the half, and maintained that advantage until 10:44 remained. At that point, they went on a 15-3 run over the next 4:12 to extend the lead to 20. The Pioneers fought back, but with only 6:32 remaining, time was not on their side. Understandably, they began committing "legitimate" fouls in order to stop the clock. The principal victim of the Pioneers transgressions was the Cards Brandon Williams who sank 8 of 10 FTs down the stretch help insure the final 10 point win.

A tick in the negative column for the Cards was perimeter defense as Carroll hit 10 of 20 3 ball attempts. On the plus side of the ledger was the final tally of 19 assists compared to an excellent total of only 6 TOs.

The Cardinals, on break until Jan 2nd, are off until they embark on their "short" break trip on Friday for games at Trine (IN) Sat, and Kalamazoo (MI) on Sunday.       

[Titan Q]

Bob,

You mention Quardell Young being in the discussion of top D3 point guards...deserves to be pointed out that he is a local kid.  Not sure why he wasn't recruited by Carthage but sure seems like he would have been a fine addition.  Logan appears to be a very fine point guard and maybe that is the reason they didn't go after him.   I was surprised he ended up at Whitewater as I felt he had the talent to play at a higher level.   Certainly the team that should have been all over him was D2 Wisconsin Parkside (right down the road from Carthage).

Easily a D2 scholarship player in my opinion, Mark.  Quardell Young has a chance to be an all-American at this level.

[John Gleich]

When Bosko says (in the press release) that Whitewater "plays a man's game" he is not kidding.  The Warhawks look like a Division I team on the floor.  Key players are:

PG - Quardell Young, 6-0 So (17.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7439&path=mbball
G - Eric Bryson, 6-2 Jr (13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7444&path=mbball
G - K.J. Evans, 6-3 So (11.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7449&path=mbball
G - Cody Odegaard, 6-2 Jr (10.7 ppg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7440&path=mbball
F/C - Luke Noble, 6-6 Sr (9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7443&path=mbball
F - Darnell Harris, 6-7 Fr (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7445&path=mbball
F - Reggie Hearn, 6-6 Jr (6.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg) - http://www.uwwsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7451&path=mbball


Quardell Young has to be in the discussion of best PG in Division III.  He is lightning fast - on offense he can easily get by his defender and get into the lane, and on defense he really harasses the opposing PG.  He's also a very good decision maker and floor general.  He is one of many really good guards.

The Warhawks are big and athletic in the frontcourt.  They don't really have that 6-7 or 6-8 All-American-type low post stud you worry about when you think of a great WIAC team, but they do have a number of very good forwards.

Like many teams, UW-Whitewater is still putting its new pieces together. It looks like they have played a little inconsistently in the early going, only beating Beloit by 7, pounding Aurora by 39, and then giving up the big lead yesterday at Carthage yesterday.  I'm guessing the Warhawks will keep getting better and really be outstanding sometime in January.

The #8 IWU/#3 Whitewater game will be really interesting.  UWW is best where IWU is still trying to figure things out (the perimeter).  IWU has a better low post game than the Warhawks.  Both teams are incredibly physical.  I think IWU might be a better overall defensive team than UWW and better rebounders as well.  IWU's inexperienced PGs (Dylan Overstreet, Bryce Dolan) will be really be tested by Quardell Young - that's the matchup I am the most concerned with going in.  The Titans can win this game if they play well, which I have a feeling they will.   I see this as a "pick 'em" type line.

As others have mentioned, I'm looking forward to this one too.

I think that Whitewater is very talented... but I think that they're trying to find their identity this year a little bit.

By no means was last year's UWW team a one-man-show... but they definitely had a go-to guy in Chris Davis last season. They don't have him this year, so guys are having to step up and make different contributions. Young is one guy who has done that, but a lot have (see Bob's list above... 7 guys scoring nearly 7 per game means that anybody can beat you instead of just one).

This is good if your team shares the ball... and that's one thing that Whitewater did last year that hasn't been their MO in years past. UWW has always had an incredibly athletic team, as athletic as anybody in the WIAC, so they haven't had to develop their offense a lot more than just beating guys off of the dribble.

But what has happened in many years is that the defenses from other teams have improved and egos on UWW's team have clashed (somebody thinks someone else is taking too many shots, etc) so as the years have gone on, the early success of UWW's team has been countered by good defensive teams who shut them down just enough to get the W.

This is only at the highest levels, of course, and by the best defensive teams... Whitewater has been one of the best teams in the WIAC and the country for the last decade. But I think what brought them over the top was a shift in their system... they really shared the ball well and focused on defense.

It appears that they're still sharing the ball well... but there will be games that they need a star to step up. Young looks like it will be that guy, but it will be interesting to see how they respond to their toughest opponent yet.

[Titan Q]

I think that Whitewater is very talented... but I think that they're trying to find their identity this year a little bit.

Sounds like IWU and UWW are very much in the same position right now.

[iwumichigander]

I think that Whitewater is very talented... but I think that they're trying to find their identity this year a little bit.

Sounds like IWU and UWW are very much in the same position right now.

In conversation at the Final Four last season with UWW - players, coaches and fans - they really wanted a IWU UWW rematch .  They wanted to see another Davis on Davis match-up.  Chris Davis definitely was the their go to 'stud' last season.  But as noted, UWW returned a lot of talent this season.  Titans will have a real challenge Tuesday night.