MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Ask the legion of Hope fans what they considered the biggest upset they witnessed and they would reply the 2nd round game of the 2012 NCAA tournament played at #1 Hope (they had lost only 1 game and that was a Nov. game at D1 Western Michigan) before 3,635 raucus fans (Hope could have sold a lot more as this was a must see game) when IWU won 108-101 in double overtime.

Oh, brother.

Augustana is a team that we've recently deemed a national title contender and MacMurray is a one-win team in one of the weakest conferences in the country.

Not really.  Webster was SLIAC champ (and a very fine team, albeit not nationally competitive); MacMurray will likely finish in the bottom reaches of the SLIAC.

I don't think it's fair to peg MacMurray as a bottom SLIAC team. The Highlanders have 6 losses:

* 2 NCAA D2 teams (Quincy, Missouri-St. Louis)
* #2 Augustana
* UT-Dallas (27-win/NCAA tournament team last year)
* Webster (SLIAC favorite)
* Spalding (SLIAC #2 pick)
* Millikin

MacMurray was 19-7 last year, 15-3 in the SLIAC.  Todd Creal has a good SLIAC program and I'll bet they finish near the top of the league again this year.

This is a good point, although it should also be mentioned that Spalding, at least, clearly appears to be down this season. But I don't think that anything MacMurray's done to date (with the possible exception of last night's game) is indicative of the team's potential in SLIAC play, for the obvious reason that the Highlanders now have Deavis Johnson. His presence makes them a completely different team. We've all seen plenty of Johnson here in the CCIW over the past two years, and there should be no doubt that he'll be a serious difference-maker in the SLIAC and a key ingredient to any success that MacMurray will have in league play.

Regardless, the gap between MacMurray (with Johnson playing in his first game as a Highlander, having had no more than four practices under his belt as per MacMurray's academic calendar, and possibly fewer than that) and Augustana is still vast enough for last night's game to have been an upset of epic proportions if the Highlanders had managed to pull it off.

[sac]

Elmhurst 62  Adrian 58

Close game all the way.

[Titan Q]

A tip of the cap to the members of IWU's 2014-15 rotation who played on the JV team last year:

* Ryan Coyle, 6-6 Jr F
* Trevor Seibring, 6-8 So C
* Alec Bausch, 6-6 So F
* Andy Stempel, 6-4 So G
* Joel Pennington, 6-0 Jr G

This group has really done a nice job so far for Ron Rose and and the Titans.  Collectively they are averaging 40.4 points and 18.7 rebounds per game.  They are 134-251 from the field (.534) and 32-68 from beyond the arc (.471).

IWU's JV team continues to be a very important part of the basketball program.  It's fun to see guys like this get thrown in the mix and do well.

[Titan Q]

Final from Lisle:

North Central 65
Benedictine 64


BU took a 1-point lead with about 0:20 to play on two FTs.  On the following possession, NCC's Jayme Moten hit what would end up being the game winner - a tough jumpshot in the middle of the lane that was well defended.  BU got a great look in the paint to win it but missed.

[Titan Q]

North Park and Chicago heading to OT in Hyde Park - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiQv0qhfbRE

[Titan Q]

Final from Hyde Park:

U. of Chicago 90
North Park 86 (OT)


NPU played very well and looked like a very dangerous team.  Juwan Henry, who is a very good player, took some bad shots down the stretch, including on the final possession of regulation.  The Vikings had the ball with the game tied and maybe 0:15 to play.  Henry, who is lightning fast with the basketball in his hands and able to get his own shot or dish, dribbled the clock down to about 0:03 and then settled for a 3-pointer that must have been 8 feet beyond the arc.  It was a bizarre decision.

This is the best NPU team in a while.  They have some players.

[iwu70]

Q's post very much confirms what I was saying earlier about the IWU JV program and process.  That's an impressive set of stats for those JV grads so far this year playing key, solid minutes on the varsity level.  Esp. Coyle and Seibring.  More positive things to come from those guys, those five. 

Q's post on NPU also confirms what Greg has been saying, that NPU this year is no longer a CCIW bottom-feeder, that this team will come to play hard and will probably challenge some of the top cohort teams this season.  Winning the CCIW is going to be a very tough road this year.

IWU70

[wiz]

Final from Hyde Park:

U. of Chicago 90
North Park 86 (OT)


NPU played very well and looked like a very dangerous team.  Juwan Henry, who is a very good player, took some bad shots down the stretch, including on the final possession of regulation.  The Vikings had the ball with the game tied and maybe 0:15 to play.  Henry, who is lightning fast with the basketball in his hands and able to get his own shot or dish, dribbled the clock down to about 0:03 and then settled for a 3-pointer that must have been 8 feet beyond the arc.  It was a bizarre decision.

This is the best NPU team in a while.  They have some players.

North Park's frantic press in the waning minutes if regulation was impressive.  The challenge seemed to be reverting to a more patient mode on the ensuing offensive possessions.  Some experience will most likely correct that and if it does, watch out for the Vikings.

[Gotberg]

Final from Hyde Park:

U. of Chicago 90
North Park 86 (OT)


NPU played very well and looked like a very dangerous team.  Juwan Henry, who is a very good player, took some bad shots down the stretch, including on the final possession of regulation.  The Vikings had the ball with the game tied and maybe 0:15 to play.  Henry, who is lightning fast with the basketball in his hands and able to get his own shot or dish, dribbled the clock down to about 0:03 and then settled for a 3-pointer that must have been 8 feet beyond the arc.  It was a bizarre decision.

This is the best NPU team in a while.  They have some players.

North Park's frantic press in the waning minutes if regulation was impressive.  The challenge seemed to be reverting to a more patient mode on the ensuing offensive possessions.  Some experience will most likely correct that and if it does, watch out for the Vikings.

The way it appeared to me is that Henry didn't realize how little time there was on the clock when he took his shot.  Not sure where that breakdown occurred.

Fun, young team to watch and I look forward to seeing what they can do in CCIW play.

[Gregory Sager]

Chicago 90, North Park 86 (OT)

Jordan Robinson: 26 pts, 9 rebs
Juwan Henry: 26 pts
T.J. Cobbs: 15 pts, 13 rebs, 3:1 a:to, 3 stls
Colin Lake: 3:0 a:to

Tom Slyder put it succinctly after the game last night: "This was a heartbreaker, but it feels good to finally be in a situation in which our hearts can be broken." A year ago, North Park couldn't have hoped to get within a country mile of a team like the Maroons. Today, the Vikings players and coaches are looking at the game film and playing the "what if" game that every team that loses in overtime plays in retrospect. NPU had more than a legit chance to win that game. The Vikings should have won it.

The late comeback, after trailing by 11 with eight minutes left in regulation, was certainly impressive enough. But the fact that the Vikings hung around while their players were fouling out left and right, even managing to almost catch up at the end of overtime until an extremely questionable foul call with 5.1 seconds left sealed the outcome, is testament to their grit as well. The Vikings play "young" an awful lot of the time, not always making good decisions with the ball and finding themselves occasionally out of position on defense, but their physical and mental toughness is a match for their quickness. This team has loads of moxie.

Juwan Henry had a tough night shooting the ball, but he was the most dangerous player on the floor last night, Chicago's Jordan Smith included. Henry has come a long way from the player he was last season, and the player he was last season was good enough to win the CCIW Newcomer of the Year award. As Juwan sands down the rough edges of his game that remain, he's going to get even better. T.J. Cobbs is coming into his own. Guys who are 5'10, 165 aren't supposed to be able to haul in 13 rebounds against a team as big and as talented as Chicago, but he finds a way. He's quietly turning into a serious force on this team. And Jordan Robinson just had a terrific night, probably the best one he's had thus far as a Viking. He played 44 minutes last night, and never looked like he was taking a play off. His future is very bright.

Nobody likes to walk out of the gym having seen his team lose, but I can't remember ever feeling better about a loss than I did last night. Tom Slyder was right -- the sort of sting that I felt last night after that loss is the sort of sting I would feel back in the day when a Vikings team that was good and that was expected to be able to go nose-to-nose with a team like the Maroons lost a heartbreaker.

Final from Hyde Park:

U. of Chicago 90
North Park 86 (OT)


NPU played very well and looked like a very dangerous team.  Juwan Henry, who is a very good player, took some bad shots down the stretch, including on the final possession of regulation.  The Vikings had the ball with the game tied and maybe 0:15 to play.  Henry, who is lightning fast with the basketball in his hands and able to get his own shot or dish, dribbled the clock down to about 0:03 and then settled for a 3-pointer that must have been 8 feet beyond the arc.  It was a bizarre decision.

This is the best NPU team in a while.  They have some players.

North Park's frantic press in the waning minutes if regulation was impressive.  The challenge seemed to be reverting to a more patient mode on the ensuing offensive possessions.  Some experience will most likely correct that and if it does, watch out for the Vikings.

The way it appeared to me is that Henry didn't realize how little time there was on the clock when he took his shot.  Not sure where that breakdown occurred.

Juwan knew how much time was left on the clock. He simply made the decision ahead of time that he was going to attempt a trey, waited for Jordan Robinson to come over and set a ball screen for him, and when Robinson was late in doing so -- because he, like the rest of Henry's teammates, though that Juwan was going to drive and possibly dish -- Juwan simply lost patience and attempted a 27-footer that was the worst possible option that he could've chosen as a final shot.

Chicago head coach Mike McGrath told me later, "There's no way in the world that we would've let him get anywhere close to the rim." I interpreted that to mean that the Maroons would've likely fouled him and forced him to win the game at the free-throw line had he drove, although it's just as likely that he could've pulled up and taken a fifteen-footer or dished off to Robinson or one of the other Vikings. The point is, any alternative would've been better than the one he chose.

But NPU didn't lose because of Juwan Henry. Let's face it, NPU wouldn't have even been close in this game if it wasn't for Juwan Henry. He's a very special talent at this level. With time and experience he'll learn how to deal better with last-shot situations, because I have the feeling that he's going to continue to be called upon to be The Man when the game is on the line throughout the rest of his career at the Park.

Fun, young team to watch and I look forward to seeing what they can do in CCIW play.

One of the great takeaways from last night's game is that Chicago is precisely the sort of team that the Vikings are going to face in January and February -- big, athletic, skilled, and disciplined. None of the teams that the Vikings had faced up until last night, with the exception of St. Norbert (a game that's almost sort of a throwaway in terms of evaluation, since it was the first game of the season and the Vikings didn't have Juwan Henry in uniform), had all four of those ingredients. But almost every team that the Park will face in CCIW play does have those four qualities in abundance. Now the Vikings know that they can stand up to a CCIW-level team and play right with them.

Nevertheless, to paraphrase Richard III from the Shakespeare play of the same name, "A big man! A big man! My kingdom for a big man!"

[Gregory Sager]

Minor triumph of the day: For the first time that I can remember, NPU is in Massey's top 100.

    6. Augustana
  14. North Central
  15. Illinois Wesleyan
  19. Wheaton
  29. Elmhurst
  94. North Park
126. Carthage
238. Millikin

[Gotberg]

Chicago 90, North Park 86 (OT)

Jordan Robinson: 26 pts, 9 rebs
Juwan Henry: 26 pts
T.J. Cobbs: 15 pts, 13 rebs, 3:1 a:to, 3 stls
Colin Lake: 3:0 a:to

Tom Slyder put it succinctly after the game last night: "This was a heartbreaker, but it feels good to finally be in a situation in which our hearts can be broken." A year ago, North Park couldn't have hoped to get within a country mile of a team like the Maroons. Today, the Vikings players and coaches are looking at the game film and playing the "what if" game that every team that loses in overtime plays in retrospect. NPU had more than a legit chance to win that game. The Vikings should have won it.

The late comeback, after trailing by 11 with eight minutes left in regulation, was certainly impressive enough. But the fact that the Vikings hung around while their players were fouling out left and right, even managing to almost catch up at the end of overtime until an extremely questionable foul call with 5.1 seconds left sealed the outcome, is testament to their grit as well. The Vikings play "young" an awful lot of the time, not always making good decisions with the ball and finding themselves occasionally out of position on defense, but their physical and mental toughness is a match for their quickness. This team has loads of moxie.

Juwan Henry had a tough night shooting the ball, but he was the most dangerous player on the floor last night, Chicago's Jordan Smith included. Henry has come a long way from the player he was last season, and the player he was last season was good enough to win the CCIW Newcomer of the Year award. As Juwan sands down the rough edges of his game that remain, he's going to get even better. T.J. Cobbs is coming into his own. Guys who are 5'10, 165 aren't supposed to be able to haul in 13 rebounds against a team as big and as talented as Chicago, but he finds a way. He's quietly turning into a serious force on this team. And Jordan Robinson just had a terrific night, probably the best one he's had thus far as a Viking. He played 44 minutes last night, and never looked like he was taking a play off. His future is very bright.

Nobody likes to walk out of the gym having seen his team lose, but I can't remember ever feeling better about a loss than I did last night. Tom Slyder was right -- the sort of sting that I felt last night after that loss is the sort of sting I would feel back in the day when a Vikings team that was good and that was expected to be able to go nose-to-nose with a team like the Maroons lost a heartbreaker.

Final from Hyde Park:

U. of Chicago 90
North Park 86 (OT)


NPU played very well and looked like a very dangerous team.  Juwan Henry, who is a very good player, took some bad shots down the stretch, including on the final possession of regulation.  The Vikings had the ball with the game tied and maybe 0:15 to play.  Henry, who is lightning fast with the basketball in his hands and able to get his own shot or dish, dribbled the clock down to about 0:03 and then settled for a 3-pointer that must have been 8 feet beyond the arc.  It was a bizarre decision.

This is the best NPU team in a while.  They have some players.

North Park's frantic press in the waning minutes if regulation was impressive.  The challenge seemed to be reverting to a more patient mode on the ensuing offensive possessions.  Some experience will most likely correct that and if it does, watch out for the Vikings.

The way it appeared to me is that Henry didn't realize how little time there was on the clock when he took his shot.  Not sure where that breakdown occurred.

Juwan knew how much time was left on the clock. He simply made the decision ahead of time that he was going to attempt a trey, waited for Jordan Robinson to come over and set a ball screen for him, and when Robinson was late in doing so -- because he, like the rest of Henry's teammates, though that Juwan was going to drive and possibly dish -- Juwan simply lost patience and attempted a 27-footer that was the worst possible option that he could've chosen as a final shot.

Chicago head coach Mike McGrath told me later, "There's no way in the world that we would've let him get anywhere close to the rim." I interpreted that to mean that the Maroons would've likely fouled him and forced him to win the game at the free-throw line had he drove, although it's just as likely that he could've pulled up and taken a fifteen-footer or dished off to Robinson or one of the other Vikings. The point is, any alternative would've been better than the one he chose.

But NPU didn't lose because of Juwan Henry. Let's face it, NPU wouldn't have even been close in this game if it wasn't for Juwan Henry. He's a very special talent at this level. With time and experience he'll learn how to deal better with last-shot situations, because I have the feeling that he's going to continue to be called upon to be The Man when the game is on the line throughout the rest of his career at the Park.

Fun, young team to watch and I look forward to seeing what they can do in CCIW play.

One of the great takeaways from last night's game is that Chicago is precisely the sort of team that the Vikings are going to face in January and February -- big, athletic, skilled, and disciplined. None of the teams that the Vikings had faced up until last night, with the exception of St. Norbert (a game that's almost sort of a throwaway in terms of evaluation, since it was the first game of the season and the Vikings didn't have Juwan Henry in uniform), had all four of those ingredients. But almost every team that the Park will face in CCIW play does have those four qualities in abundance. Now the Vikings know that they can stand up to a CCIW-level team and play right with them.

Nevertheless, to paraphrase Richard III from the Shakespeare play of the same name, "A big man! A big man! My kingdom for a big man!"

Juwan is a great player - the U of Chicago broadcasters couldn't be positive enough about him.  One of the many things I like about this team is they are obviously coach-able - which hasn't always been a trait in recent decades.

[toooldtohoop]

It certainly looks like things are lining up for a very interesting CCIW conference battle.  Another year of "on any given night..."

Wheaton has two in San Antonio this weekend.  Don't know if these games matter for tournament consideration, but they sure matter for confidence heading into conference games.

We start at Elmhurst.  Hot gym, hot team. 

Merry Christmas Hoopsters!

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton has two in San Antonio this weekend.  Don't know if these games matter for tournament consideration, but they sure matter for confidence heading into conference games.

All D3 games now matter for tournament consideration.

[toooldtohoop]

Wheaton has two in San Antonio this weekend.  Don't know if these games matter for tournament consideration, but they sure matter for confidence heading into conference games.

All D3 games now matter for tournament consideration.

Thanks. 
It sure would be nice to return with two wins.

I believe the conference battle this year will be highly competitive.  Seems like more teams competing realistically for the top 4 than in the past few years?