MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

Victor finally realized it is the national tourney (i.e., Victor-time).  So far for the second half it is Victor 9, NCC 7.

[iwu70]

Gotta make FTS.  Reed fouls out.  Tough stretch.  Titans can't seem to get over the hump in this game.

IWU70

[D-3 watcher]

To good, we gone

[Mr. Ypsi]

NCC 83, IWU 73.  Final.

We cut it to 3 a couple of times, but just couldn't quite get it done.

NCC came through with unexpected stars: Jack Burchett had a personal best with 18 points.  Jack Rourke had a personal best with 15 points.  Raridon and Gamble showed why they are stars, but they didn't hurt us nearly as much as those two (and Kmiec with FIVE steals).

Victor Davis was on fire in the second half (16 points, to go with 5 in the first), but was not enough.

Go all the way, Cardinals!

[cciwrabblerouser]

watched the second half of tonight's game and didn't 'have a dog in the fight.'  the contest was hard-played between two teams that seem to have respect for each other.  but i was disappointed in the actions of #44 for north central, when he showboated on a traveling call on iwu with a minute of so left in the game.  his actions weren't sportsmanlike.  i know, i know, he's 'just a college kid having fun,' but he IS a junior and should know better.  i applaud the north central coaching staff for immediately taking him out and dispatching him to the end of the bench. 

best wishes to north central as they travel to the nescac invitational in salem.  keep it classy, cardinals.

[iwu70]

Congrats to North Central, champions of the "bracket of death."  They played tough, well.  I give them all credit.  Hope they go all the way, prove how good CCIW basketball is.

Titans a great season, lots of great games and excitement.  We just couldn't get into a good offensive flow tonight, much due to NC defense, pressure on Overstreet, mistakes on Titan D on the perimeter.  FT shooting came back to bite us tonight, no doubt.  Great game by Eric Dortch and Vic Davis.  Sorry to see Reed foul out, go out with this kind of loss, but a great Titan career for Kevin.  Much thanks to he and Oswald for their contributions to the Titan program. 

Don't know if we won the RB battle, but pretty sure we lost the TO battle.   Had a poor night shooting threes, esp. from the normal perimeter shooters.  Vic Davis kept us close in the second half, but Titans just couldn't get over the hump, several times down 5 or down 3 with a chance, but had TOs, steals, and just couldn't get all the way back from the 10 point first half deficit.  First half was also a foul fest, with the refs calling it mighty close for a normal CCIW battle.  Let them play a bit more in the second half.

Give all credit to the Cardinals.  They have alot of good players, alot of weapons. They were the better team tonight in this tough tough, very competitive game.

Congrats to Coach Rose and all the Titans for a very superb season.  More to come next season with almost everyone back, with only Reed in the top 12 of rotation graduating.  Glad to see Raridon and Ticknis graduate . . . they had great careers in the CCIW, deserve their awards.  Won't miss them at games vs. NCC.

Good luck to North Central in the rest of the tournament.

IWU70

[iwu70]

Yes, key stat TOs, IWU 18 NCC 8.  We won the RB battle well, but gave away the ball, possessions way too often.  Missed several front-ends of 1 and 1, at key points, when close, only 5 or 3 down.  Couldn't get all the way back, over the hump, even while battling the whole way.  I give the Titans alot of credit too for battling all the way, in a tough environment, on an off shooting night from trey and the FT line.  Not much margin for error against a team of the quality, tenacity of NCC.

Again, I hope NCC goes all the way now -- shows the teams from "back east" at the NESCAC Iinvitational what Midwestern basketball, CCIW basketball is all about.

IWU70

Congrats to DePauw on the women's side for their walnut and bronze, undefeated season.  They had little trouble beating Whitewater in the Championship game. 

[NC_baller]

I give NCC all the credit for keeping IWU out of sinc tonight.. They just didn't look comfortable with NCC's defensive pressure and made some very questionable plays with the ball. Big props to PAT Rourke (thats his name, not Jack Rourke) and Jack Burchett for huge nights and boosting the Cards when fouls had been holding other players down. Also, his dunk, on a high school teammate by the way, was really a turning point for the Cards. Jack Merrithey also had two huge threes during NCC's run in which Derek Raridon was on the bench.

Lets keep it rolling Cards in the Elite 8. The goatees live on for the Cardinals!!

[Titan Q]

A great atmosphere at North Central tonight - that really had the feel of a big-time ballgame.  I was really glad I made the trip even though the game didn't turn out well for my Titans.

The things that stand out for me from an NCC standpoint...

* Jack Burchett's play - 18 pts on 8-10 shooting.  And he made some really big baskets when IWU was making a big-time charge in the 2nd half.

* NCC's on-ball pressure defense - Dylan Overstreet was hounded all night long, and turned it over 7 times.  The Titans had 18 total turnovers. 

* Pat Rourke's play - 15 pts on 4-5 FT and 7-9 FT.

For the Titans, Victor Davis was a man in that 2nd half - he led all scorers with 21 points and just looked really good out there.  Eric Dortch was also a ton, finishing with 14 points on 6-6 shooting.  Kevin Reed worked his tail off in the low post on both sides of the floor as usual - I am going to really miss watching him play.  What a smart, fundamentally sound basketball player.  And Andrew Ziemnik had a typical Andrew Ziemnik game - 9 pts, 8 rebounds, and some really good defense on Derek Raridon.

I'd like to have quite a few IWU possessions back again, but overall I thought the Titans played well tonight -- well enough to beat a lot of really good teams.  North Central was simply outstanding this evening and just made more big plays -- the Cardinals earned the win.  They were great.

I thought NCC did a great job hosting the game - everything seemed to run smoothly.

Good luck to the Cardinals in Salem - it'd be great to see the CCIW get to Atlanta.


http://northcentralcardinals.com/custompages/MBK/MBK1213/mbk30.htm

[Titan Q]

To the 2012-13 Titans, just one final thank you for a tremendous season.  Winning the CCIW championship was huge, as was getting to the Sweet 16. 

I have been following IWU basketball for 24 years now, and I can't remember a team I enjoyed rooting for more than this one.  It's a team full of really good guys who care about each other, play the game the right way, and just really represent the university well.  The best thing I can say is that this group always made me proud to be an IWU alum.

Congratulations to Ron Rose and his Titans on a great season!  Kevin Reed will be hard to replace, but everyone else comes back and the Titans should be really good again next year.

Oh, and thanks for getting me through another winter, Titans!

[Mr. Ypsi]

I give NCC all the credit for keeping IWU out of sinc tonight.. They just didn't look comfortable with NCC's defensive pressure and made some very questionable plays with the ball. Big props to PAT Rourke (thats his name, not Jack Rourke) and Jack Burchett for huge nights and boosting the Cards when fouls had been holding other players down. Also, his dunk, on a high school teammate by the way, was really a turning point for the Cards. Jack Merrithey also had two huge threes during NCC's run in which Derek Raridon was on the bench.

Lets keep it rolling Cards in the Elite 8. The goatees live on for the Cardinals!!

Yeah, I knew that.   I think Jack Burchett and Jack Merrithey had me so stunned that I thought all Cards were Jacks!

[iwu70]

Well said, Q.  This group was very fun to cheer for, to watch, as they were hard-working, deep and team-oriented.  I have no doubt that the future of the Titan program for next year and beyond is bright.  My hat is off to Coach Rose, his staff, and all the Titans.  Thanks for all the great games, effort and dedication to the Titan basketball tradition.   This team did it right, playing so hard, playing tough, fair and always representing the University and the IWU basketball tradition with energy and class.  Thanks to all!

My hat is off to North Central as well.  They played superbly and were just the better team, by a little bit, on the night.  Now after surviving the bracket of death, they move on and hopefully "march to Atlanta" and bring home some serious hardware for NC, and the CCIW.  I wish them well.

I have no doubt that next season will be excellent for our Titans -- both men and women's programs.  I have full faith in Green.

Thanks to all the chatsters on this board for another interesting year of information, analysis and banter.  And, one more time, Happy Year of the Snake to all!



IWU70

[Stagg Again!!]

A great atmosphere at North Central tonight - that really had the feel of a big-time ballgame.  I was really glad I made the trip even though the game didn't turn out well for my Titans.

The things that stand out for me from an NCC standpoint...

* Jack Burchett's play - 18 pts on 8-10 shooting.  And he made some really big baskets when IWU was making a big-time charge in the 2nd half.

* NCC's on-ball pressure defense - Dylan Overstreet was hounded all night long, and turned it over 7 times.  The Titans had 18 total turnovers. 

* Pat Rourke's play - 15 pts on 4-5 FT and 7-9 FT.

For the Titans, Victor Davis was a man in that 2nd half - he led all scorers with 21 points and just looked really good out there.  Eric Dortch was also a ton, finishing with 14 points on 6-6 shooting.  Kevin Reed worked his tail off in the low post on both sides of the floor as usual - I am going to really miss watching him play.  What a smart, fundamentally sound basketball player.  And Andrew Ziemnik had a typical Andrew Ziemnik game - 9 pts, 8 rebounds, and some really good defense on Derek Raridon.

I'd like to have quite a few IWU possessions back again, but overall I thought the Titans played well tonight -- well enough to beat a lot of really good teams.  North Central was simply outstanding this evening and just made more big plays -- the Cardinals earned the win.  They were great.

I thought NCC did a great job hosting the game - everything seemed to run smoothly.

Good luck to the Cardinals in Salem - it'd be great to see the CCIW get to Atlanta.


http://northcentralcardinals.com/custompages/MBK/MBK1213/mbk30.htm

Great game in Naperville tonight.  Fun for the fans.  The outcome was not certain until 3 minutes to go.  I can only add a couple of comments to TQ's:  1) There was a huge quickness difference in the backcourt for NCC.  Brandon Williams and Jack Merrithey were fantastic off the bench tonight for the Cards, and clearly outplayed the Titans' guards.  2) NCC shot 85% from the charity stripe after shooting a mediocre 55% against UWW.  3) The Cardinals' bigs stepped up in a big way against a VERY strong IWU frontcourt, especially with Gamble on the bench much of the Game with foul trouble.  It was a very different game when Gamble was on the court in the second half, but he simply wasn't there tonight.  Props to Burchett - he was a beast tonight. 4) TQ understated what a beast Victor Davis was in the second half.  He was simply unconscious!  Fortunately for NCC, he came back to earth in the closing minutes of the game or the outcome might have been different.  5) For the LOVE OF GOD, can we get some good officials for the elite eight games.  The zebras in the first three rounds have been poor and very inconsistent.  Tonight (as previous posters noted) the officials called the first half so tight that no one was able to get into rhythm and the stars were in trouble early.  Additionally, the officials were inconsistent as all get out.  They would call tricky tack fouls one minute and miss obvious fouls, traveling, and out-of-bounds plays the next.  In spite of all that, the game was very entertaining.

Hats off to the Titans for a wonderful season.  The boys in green can hold their heads high after another fantastic campaign.

[TitansIWU]

Congratulations to the NCC coaches, players and fans!!!!! Well deserved win!

Great year for the Titans!

[iwu70]

Congrats again to the Titans for a superb season.  Sure enjoyed cheering for and watching this team and have high hopes for the 2013-2014 season.  More on that and what the Titans have returning, off-season thoughts, later on.

Time to move outside -- Springtime sports.  Titan baseball already 6-2 with several stellar pitching gems over nationally ranked opponents.  Titan softball already 8-1 with two no-hitters already pitched!  Bigtime hitting and good defense. Emma Clark with the career homerun record in her pocket early in the season.  Titan golf both very strong, especially the men.  Both will contend for the CCIW championship.  Men current #1 of 30 very very strong squads competing in Jekyll Island tournament, with one day to go.  Springtime is going to be good to be a Titan too!  Track and Field to follow.

Hope North Central takes full advantage of surviving the "bracket of death" and makes some real noise in Salem and Atlanta.  Middlebury a good challenge, no doubt. 

IWU70