MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

It's a free space in here, Greg.  I'd love to hear more about the other teams . . . look forward to your words of wisdom on THE North Park University.  We're all ears.

IWU70

[AppletonRocks]

Can we discuss another CCIW team? One that doesn't wear green. Please? Please?

I've seen part of one NPU practice thus far. But I need to see more of the Vikings within a structured context (as opposed to open gyms) before I really feel as though I have a handle on this team. By the end of the week I hope to be able to make some tentative early assessments.

Can't wait !!

[Gregory Sager]

Gee, since you are going to wait until the end of the week --- those Titans look pretty awesome.  Q probably has more IWU thoughts,  you 70 does and Mr Ypsi always has words !  We might as well discuss the Titans some more

I have to admit that this got a chuckle out of me.

I know it's a free space, and I'm as well aware as anyone of the unofficial rule that if you complain about a current topic you're thereby obligated to substitute a new one of your own. That's why I hinted that I'll be saying something about NPU later in the week. I'm just trying to jog any of the other posters who may have some insight into one of the other non-Bloomington-based teams into spilling the beans. (We've had an unusually long radio silence from our resident North Central insider AndOne, f'rinstance.)

look forward to your words of wisdom on THE North Park University.

North Park is not Ohio State, Mark. We don't stick the definite article in front of the school's name at all, let alone stress it. That whole "The Ohio State University" shtick is the most pretentious thing in college athletics this side of Miami (FL) players and fans referring to their school as "the U".

[Mr. Ypsi]

Greg, proper Michigan fans get around THE Ohio State University pomposity by just referring to 'that trade school down south'.

As to that Green team down south (from you ), we've made the postseason 6 straight years, but only twice to the FF - I'd say we're overdue!

[iwu70]

Sorry, Greg, it's just my habit from my home University in Hong Kong which is, in fact, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.  Didn't mean to bring up unhappy recollections of OSU.  Anyway, do look forward to your thoughts on your guys, your team for 2015-16 . . . and thoughts from AndOne and others on the other CCIW teams and contenders.  My sense is that this may be one of the strongest years in the CCIW that we've all seen in quite a few years.  Pre-CCIW season records will tell the tale. 

IWU70

[AO]

North Park is not Ohio State, Mark. We don't stick the definite article in front of the school's name at all, let alone stress it. That whole "The Ohio State University" shtick is the most pretentious thing in college athletics this side of Miami (FL) players and fans referring to their school as "the U".

We Minnesotans also call the University of Minnesota "The U".   But that's more about it being the only division 1 school in the state rather than something to distinguish itself nationally.

[Gregory Sager]

Sorry, Greg, it's just my habit from my home University in Hong Kong which is, in fact, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.  Didn't mean to bring up unhappy recollections of OSU.

I don't have any "unhappy recollections" of OSU. I've never even been to Columbus, and I really don't care much about D1 in general or any specific D1 schools at all. I just find the whole "The Ohio State University" thing to be pretentious, that's all.

Anyway, do look forward to your thoughts on your guys, your team for 2015-16 . . . and thoughts from AndOne and others on the other CCIW teams and contenders.  My sense is that this may be one of the strongest years in the CCIW that we've all seen in quite a few years.

I agree. This has the potential to be one of those seasons in which the CCIW wins 70 non-conference games, which hasn't happened in awhile.

[Gregory Sager]

Coaches poll is out:

1. Augustana 48 (6)
2. Elmhurst 44 (2)
3. Illlinois Wesleyan 35
4. North Central 32
5. North Park 26
6. Wheaton 19
7. Millikin 13
8. Carthage 7

[Gregory Sager]

North Park is not Ohio State, Mark. We don't stick the definite article in front of the school's name at all, let alone stress it. That whole "The Ohio State University" shtick is the most pretentious thing in college athletics this side of Miami (FL) players and fans referring to their school as "the U".

We Minnesotans also call the University of Minnesota "The U".   But that's more about it being the only division 1 school in the state rather than something to distinguish itself nationally.

Yeah, as an alumnus of a school that's always crawling with Minnesotans, I'm aware of that. But nobody would ever accuse Minnesotans of pretentiousness (aside from a few yuppie precincts in Minneapolis, perhaps). Pretentiousness doesn't fit in well with Minnesota Nice.

[Gregory Sager]

Wow, looks like I'm doing a monologue today.

Wheaton's roster is up. No Luis Miller this year. I wonder if he's sitting out a season to heal up his damaged knee with the hope of coming back in 2016-17, or if he's simply hung it up for good and plans to graduate in May? Either way, I suspect that Wheaton is really going to miss him.

Millikin's roster is up, too. I'd like to see another team in D3 that got picked for seventh in its league's preseason poll that boasts a backcourt as good as T.J. Griffin and T.J. Sims.

[GoPerry]

Wow, looks like I'm doing a monologue today.

Wheaton's roster is up. No Luis Miller this year. I wonder if he's sitting out a season to heal up his damaged knee with the hope of coming back in 2016-17, or if he's simply hung it up for good and plans to graduate in May? Either way, I suspect that Wheaton is really going to miss him.

I'm not sure why Luis Miller would be off the roster.  While it would be nice to have him, his impact was to be significantly felt last season and then into this one.  Since he went down with injury pretty early last season, missing him will not have major significance for a team that is looking for big contributions up and down the roster.

While not blind to the obvious obstacles, I am optimistic that this 2015-16 version of the Thunder will make plenty of noise.  Despite narrowly escaping the CCIW cellar last season, Mike Schauer's team was seldom an easy out on any given night(especially at King Arena, Augie notwithstanding) and I expect no less this year.  I'll be looking to see if Michael Berg and Joel Smith finally step up significantly in the vacuum of losing a 3 time All Conference player(1st team worthy) in Brayden Teuscher- this is their chance- no shadow over them.  From what I saw, Murad Dillard is a tremendous talent with a year of defensive seasoning under him and I'm thinking the coaches are looking for him to play a more high profile scoring role.  And having Riley Teuscher back and healthy will give the Thunder another outside threat as losing him last year deprived them of another shooter who could hit a big shot down the stretch- something sorely needed last year.  Ricky Samuelson came on strong late in the season so he should contribute solid minutes as well.

Know very little about the incoming Thunder recruit class as I'm not privy to any team chatter and I don't attend the open gyms.  Would welcome any insights from other Thunder posters.  There should be plenty of opportunity for a freshman or two to see some time so perhaps there's a K-Ray among them(we already know there's a Peters, Tyler's younger bro Luke)?  A few of them have some decent size, 6-5 to 6-7, but from what I saw on recruiting videos I don't think a single one plays back to the basket and that's not great news for us.  More than a little frustrating to research a 6-6 or 6-7 commit and 90% of their highlights are shots from beyond the arc.  Playing the low post is surely becoming a lost art it seems.

What hasn't changed is the typically tough non-con schedule  vs Chicago, @Hope, @Calvin,  @Whitewater although notably missing WashU for the first time in a while(noticed NCC will also be tested early/often).  Would be nice if the Thunder can go 7-2 or 6-3 before traveling to Carver and Shirk to lead off that cool stroll known as the CCIW.  If they struggle early, it could get ugly in rapid snowball fashion.

[Gregory Sager]

Wow, looks like I'm doing a monologue today.

Wheaton's roster is up. No Luis Miller this year. I wonder if he's sitting out a season to heal up his damaged knee with the hope of coming back in 2016-17, or if he's simply hung it up for good and plans to graduate in May? Either way, I suspect that Wheaton is really going to miss him.

I'm not sure why Luis Miller would be off the roster.  While it would be nice to have him, his impact was to be significantly felt last season and then into this one.  Since he went down with injury pretty early last season, missing him will not have major significance for a team that is looking for big contributions up and down the roster.

I disagree. In terms of the players Wheaton has coming back, I didn't see a tremendous amount of athleticism there, with the exception of Dillard. That's the x factor that Miller supplied.

[GoPerry]

Wow, looks like I'm doing a monologue today.

Wheaton's roster is up. No Luis Miller this year. I wonder if he's sitting out a season to heal up his damaged knee with the hope of coming back in 2016-17, or if he's simply hung it up for good and plans to graduate in May? Either way, I suspect that Wheaton is really going to miss him.

I'm not sure why Luis Miller would be off the roster.  While it would be nice to have him, his impact was to be significantly felt last season and then into this one.  Since he went down with injury pretty early last season, missing him will not have major significance for a team that is looking for big contributions up and down the roster.

I disagree. In terms of the players Wheaton has coming back, I didn't see a tremendous amount of athleticism there, with the exception of Dillard. That's the x factor that Miller supplied.

You're right that his athleticism was an asset for the few games that he played and he was a solid starter and good defensively.  So in that sense, yes the Thunder(and I) would love to have him in the lineup especially against the more athletic teams in the league like NPU.  My point was more that he played very little as a sophomore and then only about 10 games or so as a junior due to injury.  So in my mind, his availability (or lack thereof) is less a factor to Wheaton's fortunes this year than say the stepped up play of established veterans Berg and Smith and/or significant increase in Dillard's overall production. 

[AO]

North Park is not Ohio State, Mark. We don't stick the definite article in front of the school's name at all, let alone stress it. That whole "The Ohio State University" shtick is the most pretentious thing in college athletics this side of Miami (FL) players and fans referring to their school as "the U".

We Minnesotans also call the University of Minnesota "The U".   But that's more about it being the only division 1 school in the state rather than something to distinguish itself nationally.

Yeah, as an alumnus of a school that's always crawling with Minnesotans, I'm aware of that. But nobody would ever accuse Minnesotans of pretentiousness (aside from a few yuppie precincts in Minneapolis, perhaps). Pretentiousness doesn't fit in well with Minnesota Nice.

Minnesota Nice is overrated.  Check out this article:

Here again, though, I was wrong, or at least only half right, and as an adult I discovered the fun of old-fashioned Midwestern innuendo: the way my aunts, say, could achieve the perfect degree of half-smile when extending their barely dead-toned goodbyes to my sister's boyfriend, which told her how very much they disliked him. In fact, people from outside the Plains think they can mimic us by elongating some O's, but in truth we communicate far more in what we half-say, or fail to say entirely. To live in the Midwest is to experience two realities: the first, all sunshine and bland pleasantries among other potluck-suppering churchgoers; the other, a red-lit underworld where people relay vulgarities through the learned second language of euphemism, eye rolls and loaded silence.

[WUPHF]

I have been visiting Wisconsin 1-2 times a year for the past 10-15 years and I have never once heard someone say Wisconsin Nice.  I wonder why that is.  Culturally, Wisconsin and Minnesota seem so similar.