MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Final from the Griz:

Greenville 75
Millikin 69

The Big Blue almost came all the way back from a 19-point deficit in the second half, but a Jacob Kueker trey attempt that would've tied the game in the final minute was short-rimmed and Greenville got the rebound. The Panthers made some FTs, Millikin never scored again, and that was that. MU drops to 4-4 on the campaign.

This was ... well, let's just be polite and say that it wasn't a good loss for MU. Greenville's now 5-3, sure, and it appears that the Panthers are a bit of a surprise within their league, but it's just not a good thing for a CCIW team to lose on its own floor to a SLIAC outfit that is anything less than the best that the SLIAC has to offer. Elmhurst beat the Panthers by 17 earlier this season, in a game in which the Bluejays were up by 24 when John Baines emptied his bench with three and a half minutes left.

It did sound as though there was a lot of energy in the Griz tonight ... but a lot of the sound seemed to be coming from Greenville supporters.

[iwu70]

Greg, many chinks.  IWU and other liberal arts schools are all going to struggle now with the changing demographic and with a continuing high price point.  Many families just can't cut it and will look for cheaper environs for higher education years.  This is also partly the outflow of the recession and the hits many families took in their financial preparation, family assets for college expenses.  It's going to roll on for some years.  The down-sizing is happening, with some schools conceding to the demographic, others trying to innovate, still others seeking new markets and new locations for student recruitment.  Why do you think IWU now has almost 200 international students, with the majority coming from newly-rich and market growth China?  Let's hope the downturn isn't too pronounced and severe, but I think all CCIW schools are facing some tough times, even some of the liberal arts schools at a higher quality level, higher selectivity level than the CCIW, are also facing these pressures.  Athletic programs and departments should, rightly, face increased evaluation and scrutiny in these very constricted financial times.  There's still more hell to pay.  Stay tuned.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

Wow, it took a whole seven sentences before you kicked into IWU admissions brochure mode that time, Mark. For you, that's practically a tease.

[mr_b]

Whiteford HS is properly known as Ottawa Lake-Whiteford Schools and even more properly known as Whiteford Agricultural Schools but no one does that anymore.   It's  located just outside the village of Ottawa Lake.

Here is the link from the MHSAA website for Ottawa Lake-Whiteford High School:
http://www.mhsaa.com/Schools/whiteford

[Titan Q]

Congratulations to IWU's Dylan Overstreet - a nominee for the Allstate Good Works Team.

http://static.psbin.com/5/8/01q6fekf39oykk/2015_Allstate_NABC__WBCA_Good_Works_Team_Nominee_Press_Release_12-3-14-Final2-.pdf

Overstreet is a model Division III student-athlete.  IWU has been really lucky to have him in the program the last 4 years.

[Titan Q]

New Top 25 - http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/index.

* Wednesday - #4 Augustana vs #1 UW-Whitewater

* Saturday - #5 Illinois Wesleyan @ #3 Washington U.

[WUPHF]

* Saturday - #5 Illinois Wesleyan @ #3 Washington U.

Washington University had five No. 1 votes!  That No. 3 ranking feels so high to me, but I guess I since I have not seen No. 1-2, 6-8, and 10-25 play, I just need to shut up and wait for the weekend.

[sac]

New Top 25 - http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/index.

* Wednesday - #4 Augustana vs #1 UW-Whitewater

* Saturday - #5 Illinois Wesleyan @ #3 Washington U.

With the WIAC now in the Central Region for regional ranking purposes, these seem to be astoundingly important games for March already.

[Gregory Sager]

Congratulations to IWU's Dylan Overstreet - a nominee for the Allstate Good Works Team.

http://static.psbin.com/5/8/01q6fekf39oykk/2015_Allstate_NABC__WBCA_Good_Works_Team_Nominee_Press_Release_12-3-14-Final2-.pdf

Promoting the enemy, Bob? That goes above and beyond "good works" on your part, doesn't it?

[Titan Q]

Congratulations to IWU's Dylan Overstreet - a nominee for the Allstate Good Works Team.

http://static.psbin.com/5/8/01q6fekf39oykk/2015_Allstate_NABC__WBCA_Good_Works_Team_Nominee_Press_Release_12-3-14-Final2-.pdf

Promoting the enemy, Bob? That goes above and beyond "good works" on your part, doesn't it?

It's all good, Greg.  Allstate's "rivalry" with State Farm is sort of like North Park's with Wheaton.

[Gregory Sager]

Ouch!

[AndOne]

New Top 25 - http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/index.

* Wednesday - #4 Augustana vs #1 UW-Whitewater

* Saturday - #5 Illinois Wesleyan @ #3 Washington U.

* Friday- #16 North Central @ #10 Dickinson at the Juniata (PA) tournament

[AndOne]

Congrats to North Central's Jayme Moten on being named CCIW Player Of The Week.
In 2 games in California against Pomona-Pitzer and Redlands. Jayme scored 47 points on 17 of 24 shooting from the field (70.8%), including 12 of 17 (70.6%) from behind the 3 point line.

[Greek Tragedy]

New Top 25 - http://www.d3hoops.com/top25/index.

* Wednesday - #4 Augustana vs #1 UW-Whitewater

* Saturday - #5 Illinois Wesleyan @ #3 Washington U.

With the WIAC now in the Central Region for regional ranking purposes, these seem to be astoundingly important games for March already.

Not this year.  You have Whitewater. Point is down this year, IMO and my #2 WIAC team, Platteville, just got smoked by the Warhawks over the weekend. The WIAC's nonconference record isn't many games over .500 and River Falls (4 losses), Platteville (2 losses that count, including one to Carthage and La Crosse (2 losses), the so-called 2nd tier WIAC teams, already have multiple/bad losses. I wouldn't be too concerned with the WIAC this year. And before all of you get too worked up and jump on me, I've been known to be a Pointer pessimist and also been known to lowball the WIAC. 

[Gregory Sager]

Tom, you need to change your posting icon from your kid's picture to a picture of this guy: