MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton shouldn't have been anywhere near the Titans in this one- missing size inside, having no legs, and getting a terrible whistle. 

I think IWU dominated the first 25 minutes too thoroughly to really use those excuses.  It was 57-34 with 15:00 to play in this game.

I think the absence of Haynes and the fact that several rotation players missed practice all week with the flu are both valid and invalid excuses. If a large proportion of the rotation didn't practice all week and is coming off of the flu, then those heavy legs will be telling once the team hits the court ... especially against a team as physical as the Titans. On the other hand, that's what depth is all about. Depth, and the ability to band together as a team and overcome the heavy-leggedness by playing in a unified matter, can sometimes cancel out such adversity. And, as Mike said in the post-game interview, Wheaton did not play together over the first 25 minutes of the game. It was every man for himself.

So, not to be wishy-washy or anything, but I think they're both valid and invalid excuses.

[Titan Q]

You don't think it's a significant deal that he scored 25 in the second half?

It is.  But as Ron Rose said in the WJBC postgame, with the enormous lead they decided to defend him in a completely different fashion.  The Titans did not help on Peters at all in the 2nd an effort to allow contested 2-point shots over open 3-point shots.  Peters scored on a variety of clear-out, one-on-one penetration moves in the 2nd...with IWU in firm command of the basketball game.  As Rose said, they were willing to gamble in that situation based on the scoreboard.

IWU holding Peters to 1 first half point was a huge reason IWU won the game.

[izzy stradlin]

A lot of credit goes to IWU head coach Ron Rose on this one.  The Titans not only dominated the physical battle in the first 25 minutes or so, but I felt like they won the X's and O's matchup as well.  Rose guarded Tyler Peters with his big 3's (Andrew Ziemnik primarily, Mike Mayberger when Ziemnik went out), preventing Peters from getting easy post-up baskets on the blocks.  Peters had 1 point at halftime.  Rose's offense also looked extremely crisp in that first half, with the Titans getting easy basket after easy basket.  That's just not easy to do against Wheaton...ever.

I think Mike Schauer is a tremendous coach, so it's with the utmost respect that I say that I feel like Ron Rose won the head coach battle tonight too.

Come on, Bob. You're really reaching here. Tyler Peters finished the night with 26 points and 6 assists.

One of the marks of good coaching is, as CCIWchamps said, the ability to make great halftime adjustments.

You don't think it was a significant deal that Tyler Peters had 1 point at halftime?  (At which point IWU had opened up a 19-point lead.)

It's infinitely more important how a player performs over forty minutes than how he does over 20 minutes.  All points count the same.  IWU won 83-80 in 40 min. 

[Gregory Sager]

Sounds to me like "defend him in a completely different fashion" is a euphemism for not defending him at all. Considering that Wheaton almost came all the way back from a 23-point second-half deficit, the move by Rose to defend Peters differently should be considered suspect and your point about his having outcoached Schauer is open to serious question.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Boys, boys, settle down (pretty sure I've got at least 20 years on both Q and Greg!)

Wheaton made an amazing comeback, and got me mildly concerned at the very end, but they were never REALLY on it for essentially forever.

Despite the 3 point final margin, that was a butt-whoopin'.

[Gregory Sager]

You've got a very strange personal definition of butt-whoopin', Chuck.

The big question now for Wheaton is whether Haynes will be healthy by Saturday. Wheaton could find itself facing another 22-point second-half deficit -- or worse -- in the airplane hangar three days from now if it doesn't have Haynes against Gamble & Co. And I have to think that Wheaton doesn't have a huge supply of big late-game comebacks on hand to parcel out as needed.

[Gregory Sager]

I want to get back to this Millikin win, because I don't want to see it get lost in the shuffle. (And because I'll do anything to avoid having to talk about NPU right now. ) Is anybody as curious as me to read Bosko's post-game comments? And is Carthage really that damaged without Jaskulske and Johnson, or did the Red Men just really lay a stinker tonight on that hellish Kenosha-to-Decatur road trip, a stinker that is not indicative of the team's current potential?

[CCIWchamps]

Wheaton shouldn't have been anywhere near the Titans in this one- missing size inside, having no legs, and getting a terrible whistle. 

I think IWU dominated the first 25 minutes too thoroughly to really use those excuses.  It was 57-34 with 15:00 to play in this game.

I think the absence of Haynes and the fact that several rotation players missed practice all week with the flu are both valid and invalid excuses. If a large proportion of the rotation didn't practice all week and is coming off of the flu, then those heavy legs will be telling once the team hits the court ... especially against a team as physical as the Titans. On the other hand, that's what depth is all about. Depth, and the ability to band together as a team and overcome the heavy-leggedness by playing in a unified matter, can sometimes cancel out such adversity. And, as Mike said in the post-game interview, Wheaton did not play together over the first 25 minutes of the game. It was every man for himself.

So, not to be wishy-washy or anything, but I think they're both valid and invalid excuses.

I didn't hear about the flu but it seems about right.  It just seemed like their 3's were all clanging in and out rather than solid bricks off the side or back of the iron.  But to your point about banding together and overcoming it all, you're right.  And if this scenario had happened in mid-February, maybe they might have absorbed it better and played around it.  But for the first game back after break, well, it was too much, and when coupled with CCIW play it's not a good mix, especially against IWU- who were ready play.  For at least 25 minutes   

Let's cross our fingers for Saturday.

[Gregory Sager]

Final from Faganel Hall:

North Central 71
Elmhurst 51

Looks like the Cardinals have taken a shine to being the number one team in the nation.

I'll let Mark give the rundown on this one.

[Titan Q]

Sounds to me like "defend him in a completely different fashion" is a euphemism for not defending him at all. Considering that Wheaton almost came all the way back from a 23-point second-half deficit, the move by Rose to defend Peters differently should be considered suspect and your point about his having outcoached Schauer is open to serious question.

It's not a euphemism for that at all.  It was a strategic decision - based on the score - to prevent a lot of open 3-point shots, allowing Wheaton to quickly chip away.

As far as "almost came all the way back", I guess that's open for interpretation.  I know the final margin turned out to be 3, but it sure seemed to me the Titans were in very firm control of that basketball game the entire 2nd half. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

I want to get back to this Millikin win, because I don't want to see it get lost in the shuffle. (And because I'll do anything to avoid having to talk about NPU right now. ) Is anybody as curious as me to read Bosko's post-game comments? And is Carthage really that damaged without Jaskulske and Johnson, or did the Red Men just really lay a stinker tonight on that hellish Kenosha-to-Decatur road trip, a stinker that is not indicative of the team's current potential?

Another possibility: has Millikin actually returned to respectability faster than we imagined?

If Saturday's game weren't at the Crackerbox, I'd probably switch my pickems choice!  Once I sleep on tonight's results, I still might, but probably not.

[Gregory Sager]

It was a two-possession game throughout most of the final minute. A two-possession game doesn't strike me as "very firm control" ... and tossing off Ron Rose's switch of tactics as a "strategic decision" doesn't really negate the fact that it didn't work.

Again, I just can't see you justifying this "Rose outcoached Schauer" thesis based upon the fact that Tyler Peters had one point at halftime. As Izzy said, it's a 40-minute game ... and Peters walked off the floor at the end of those forty minutes with 26 points, 6 assists, and a near-comeback of massive proportions from his team.

[Titan Q]

It was a two-possession game throughout most of the final minute. A two-possession game doesn't strike me as "very firm control" ... and tossing off Ron Rose's switch of tactics as a "strategic decision" doesn't really negate the fact that it didn't work.

Again, I just can't see you justifying this "Rose outcoached Schauer" thesis based upon the fact that Tyler Peters had one point at halftime. As CCIWchamps said, it's a 40-minute game ... and Peters walked off the floor at the end of those forty minutes with 26 points, 6 assists, and a near-comeback of massive proportions from his team.

OK Greg, I give.  Mike Schauer out-coached Ron Rose tonight at King Arena.  And it was a real nail-biter. 

Go Titans.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Sounds to me like "defend him in a completely different fashion" is a euphemism for not defending him at all. Considering that Wheaton almost came all the way back from a 23-point second-half deficit, the move by Rose to defend Peters differently should be considered suspect and your point about his having outcoached Schauer is open to serious question.

It's not a euphemism for that at all.  It was a strategic decision - based on the score - to prevent a lot of open 3-point shots, allowing Wheaton to quickly chip away.

As far as "almost came all the way back", I guess that's open for interpretation.  I know the final margin turned out to be 3, but it sure seemed to me the Titans were in very firm control of that basketball game the entire 2nd half.

Bingo.  As I said in an earlier post, I got mildly nervous in the last minute, but that game was over LONG before.  Greg, YES, a 3-point game CAN be a butt-whoopin'!

[Gregory Sager]

OK Greg, I give.  Mike Schauer out-coached Ron Rose tonight at King Arena.

Yeah. As if I ever said that.

And it was a real nail-biter.

Depends upon who's doing the biting and the length of the nails, I suppose.

I want to get back to this Millikin win, because I don't want to see it get lost in the shuffle. (And because I'll do anything to avoid having to talk about NPU right now. ) Is anybody as curious as me to read Bosko's post-game comments? And is Carthage really that damaged without Jaskulske and Johnson, or did the Red Men just really lay a stinker tonight on that hellish Kenosha-to-Decatur road trip, a stinker that is not indicative of the team's current potential?

Another possibility: has Millikin actually returned to respectability faster than we imagined?

That's an interesting angle. I suppose that it depends upon how you define "respectability". Seeing how you define "butt-whoopin'", I want a second opinion on this definition.

Seriously, though, Millikin does appear to be getting a little better with experience. Two games ago they managed to hang with a fairly decent Aurora team for 30 minutes, an Aurora team that loves to play up-tempo and can embarrass an inexperienced or under-strength team fairly fast. And, while Rockford is no world-beater, the Regents aren't bottom of the barrel, either. Beating the Regents on the road was a solid win, considering where Millikin is right now. But tonight was a quantum leap forward for the Big Blue, no matter how you slice it. Carthage is not Rockford, Luke Johnson or no Luke Johnson.

Remains to be seen how far MU's advanced, I guess. I am not looking forward to Saturday. After two humiliating blowout losses, NPU's confidence might be shattered ... and MU's will probably be sky-high.