MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Not a good day as a whole for the CCIW, which dropped three out of five and fell to 34-20 (.630).

Here's what's coming up on Monday:

North Park (7-1) @ Manchester (1-6)
Blackburn (5-4) @ Elmhurst (3-6)
Millikin (0-8) @ Rose-Hulman (4-3)
Carthage (5-3) @ Caltech (0-7)

[AndOne]

Having multiple schools on your transcript is not the same thing as having a rap sheet, and I don't think that they should be equated or even addressed in the same sentence. One doesn't involve harm to other people or property, and the other one does.

By neither any expressly stated nor implied terms or manner did I attempt to elevate having a resume containing multiple stops the academic trail to the same level of seriousness as one having evidence of past felonious activity.

What I was pointing out is that often you will find individuals that have engaged in such activities have also made several stops at different academic institutions in additional to any time they have spent in any judicial program or institution which is penal in nature. 

Also, while not criminal in nature, and nowhere near as serious as that type of activity, there are academic institutions which, seemingly almost every year, have a player or players that have made multiple stops at prior schools. Again, while this does not necessarily signal activity of a criminal or judicial nature, it does signify that these individuals may place more emphasis on the athlete part of student-athlete, and may be shopping for a school where basketball/athletics is the more important activity when the choices are academics and athletics. That's all. 😊

[iwu70]

Looks like a 3-1 Monday for the CCIW, upcoming.

'70

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Having multiple schools on your transcript is not the same thing as having a rap sheet, and I don't think that they should be equated or even addressed in the same sentence. One doesn't involve harm to other people or property, and the other one does.

By neither any expressly stated nor implied terms or manner did I attempt to elevate having a resume containing multiple stops the academic trail to the same level of seriousness as one having evidence of past felonious activity.

What I was pointing out is that often you will find individuals that have engaged in such activities have also made several stops at different academic institutions in additional to any time they have spent in any judicial program or institution which is penal in nature. 

Also, while not criminal in nature, and nowhere near as serious as that type of activity, there are academic institutions which, seemingly almost every year, have a player or players that have made multiple stops at prior schools. Again, while this does not necessarily signal activity of a criminal or judicial nature, it does signify that these individuals may place more emphasis on the athlete part of student-athlete, and may be shopping for a school where basketball/athletics is the more important activity when the choices are academics and athletics. That's all. 😊

This is (hopefully) going to be addressed in my next Around the Nation column (after the holidays).  The players headed to highly selective schools and those headed to state schools by and large live in very different academic/recruiting worlds without a lot of crossover (yes, there are schools "in the middle," so to speak, where its more a continuum than anything else) - I'm hoping to illustrate different assumptions and motivations across the wide diversity of d3.

[Gregory Sager]

Having multiple schools on your transcript is not the same thing as having a rap sheet, and I don't think that they should be equated or even addressed in the same sentence. One doesn't involve harm to other people or property, and the other one does.

By neither any expressly stated nor implied terms or manner did I attempt to elevate having a resume containing multiple stops the academic trail to the same level of seriousness as one having evidence of past felonious activity.

What I was pointing out is that often you will find individuals that have engaged in such activities have also made several stops at different academic institutions in additional to any time they have spent in any judicial program or institution which is penal in nature. 

I certainly accept your intent. I'm just saying that it didn't read that way, given your juxtapositioning of the two trends and the indicting linkage of the phrase "and/or might have had legal difficulties".

Also, while not criminal in nature, and nowhere near as serious as that type of activity, there are academic institutions which, seemingly almost every year, have a player or players that have made multiple stops at prior schools. Again, while this does not necessarily signal activity of a criminal or judicial nature, it does signify that these individuals may place more emphasis on the athlete part of student-athlete, and may be shopping for a school where basketball/athletics is the more important activity when the choices are academics and athletics. That's all. 😊

Not everybody who has made multiple stops did so because he was shopping for a better deal or more playing time, or for some other basketball-oriented reason. Let's not tar everybody with a broad brush. Given that, I certainly think that a school that habitually recruits student-athletes who have attended multiple institutions prior to their arrival bears watching with regard to success indicators like graduation rates.

This is (hopefully) going to be addressed in my next Around the Nation column (after the holidays).  The players headed to highly selective schools and those headed to state schools by and large live in very different academic/recruiting worlds without a lot of crossover (yes, there are schools "in the middle," so to speak, where its more a continuum than anything else) - I'm hoping to illustrate different assumptions and motivations across the wide diversity of d3.

I'm looking forward to reading it.

[WUPHF]

Wash-U did try to gain a timeout immediately after the Highsmith tip-in with 2 seconds left, I discovered after the game.  Coach Edwards was on top of the situation, but either the officials didn't hear his pleas or chose not to grant the timeout. 

That makes sense...thanks for the clarification.

[Gregory Sager]

Looks like a 3-1 Monday for the CCIW, upcoming.

Well, let's see what the HAL 9000 has to say about that:

    7. North Park
  15. Illinois Wesleyan
  20. Augustana
  22. North Central*
  50. Wheaton
  56. Carroll
  85. Carthage
115. Elmhurst
366. Millikin

*NCC's loss to RMUC was neither put on the schedule on the Massey Ratings site nor recorded. I sent Ken an e-mail about it this morning.

@ Rose-Hulman 75, Millikin 61 (RHIT 90%, MU 10%)
@ Elmhurst 82, Blackburn 74 (EC 78%, Blackburn 22%)
North Park 88, @ Manchester 73 (NPU 91%, Manchester 9%)
Carthage 75, @ Caltech 59 (CC 92%, Caltech 59%)

[Titan Q]

The degree to which this was great execution by the defense or poor execution by the offense likely depends on the Pantone shade of green you prefer.  Others may have seen a little of both, but I would point more towards poor execution and bad luck.

As much as I like Kevin Kucera as a point guard, he brought the ball down and set up as if he had 30 second to run the offense.  He passed it to Knupp and then stood there.  Highsmith set a few screens, but Knupp is not one to create space for his own shot as far as I have seen.

Jake Knupp is the last guy the Bears want driving in hopes of drawing contact.  He starts his shooting motion from the waist and never draws contact.  Nevertheless, Knupp made the right decision.  Brady Rose stepped aside as Knupp drove the lane. 

Had Knupp made the basket, the Bears would have had a chance to defend the inbounds play, but Highsmith fell on Knupp after scoring on the put-back (the bad luck part), leaving no one to guard Rose on the inbounds.  A time out needed to be called, but the bench was probably not fully aware of what had happened.

The Bears could have had 5-6 seconds to run one more play, but alas...

I think Highsmith fouled Rose before the pass but no zebra was even close to make the call.

In the end, free throws doom the Bears for a second straight game...otherwise a game worthy of an IWU-Washington University match-up.

* Disclaimer - everything I say here falls into the "hindsight is 20/20" category. *

https://portal.stretchinternet.com/wustl/

I watched that final play again this morning and I would definitely agree it was not good execution.

Down 3 with 20 seconds left, Wash U took the floor with (season 3-point percentages included):
G - Kevin Kucera, 6-2 Jr. (12-41, .293)
G - Jake Knupp, 6-1 Jr. (7-19, .368)
F - Clinton Hooks, 6-5 Sr. (16-41, .390)
F - Andrew Sanders, 6-5 Jr. (0-0)
F - Matt Highsmith, 6-7 Jr. (0-0)

Knowing you are taking the floor with just 3 guys who can make a 3, with one of them being just a .293 shooter, I think you have to commit to either, a) the quick 2 (get down 1 with, say 10 seconds left and foul) or, b) using all 20 seconds to get one of your 3 shooters a good 3-point look. 

Wash U seemed caught in the middle.  At the 9 second mark, all the Bears had done is jogged the ball over halfcourt and passed to Knupp.  Up to that point, they really hadn't done anything to either attack the basket or free a shooter up for a 3.  Clinton Hooks (.390 3-point shooter) was standing in the left corner that whole time.  Knupp started his drive at about 9, with Highsmith's tip-in at 5.

Whether option A or B was the way to go, it looked like the Bears were not quite sure what they were trying to do.  Based on Wash U's personnel, and the fact IWU took the floor with 4 guards (Rose, Amann, Bonnett, Stempel) and 6-6 Bausch - neither IWU center on the floor - I would have guessed the Bears would try to score inside very quickly.  Again...hindsight 20/20.

I do think IWU defended the play well.  The Titans had the shooters covered, switching a couple times on the perimeter, and challenged Knupp's drive well without fouling (Rose).  And the pre-determined plan to grab the ball immediately after it went in the basket and get it in-bounds turned out to be key.  Bausch really did a great job there...he was right on top of that.

[4samuy]

Not a good day as a whole for the CCIW, which dropped three out of five and fell to 34-20 (.630).

Here's what's coming up on Monday:



North Park (7-1) @ Manchester (1-6)
Blackburn (5-4) @ Elmhurst (3-6)
Millikin (0-8) @ Rose-Hulman (4-3)
Carthage (5-3) @ Caltech (0-7)

Glad to see the Conference increasing their SOS numbers.

[Gregory Sager]

Sometimes it just works out that way, 4samuy. Sure, it was a foregone conclusion that Caltech was not going to be a plus opponent when Bosko put them on the sked, but, hey, it's a snowbird trip ... and snowbird trips fulfill other purposes besides pumping up SOS numbers. (And, no, I don't think that one of those purposes is to augment Bosko's perpetual tanning project. ) Blackburn is actually likely to help Elmhurst's SOS, since the Beavers are supposedly one of the better teams in the SLIAC this season, if I'm reading hopefan's tea leaves correctly. Millikin's long past caring about SOS, but Rose-Hulman will help the Big Blue's, anyway. And with last season's d3hoops.com Great Lakes Region Rookie of the Year Adrian Johnson returning, Manchester was picked to finish fourth in the ten-team HCAC's preseason poll. I don't think that anybody anticipated a 1-6 start for the Spartans.

[iwumichigander]

Regarding the last 20 seconds of the WashU IWU contest:
I thought last night the Bears best chance was a quick 2 not a 3 then a chance to steal or make a quick foul - even though the Bears do not seem to be a team that moves the ball up the court quickly.  They burned too much time off the clock.
With +/- 6 seconds remaining officials are not likely to bail you out with a foul or a time out.  But, the ball was in bounded so fast you had to think about it as the ball was advanced.  I simply think the quick in bounds caught everyone by surprise. Possession had changed before the officials could blow the whistle.
Hum, I did notice the officiating crew made it off the court to the locker room very quickly at game end.

[AndOne]

iwumich-

I think you have it nailed. I watched the last 15 mins or so of the game after I got home. The Wash U guy who brought the ball up acted like he was on a leisurely stroll to afternoon tea. He was neither decisive or aggressive. The play was to rush the ball up and look for an open three, and if that wan't there, to go hard to the basket and finish and/or get fouled if he didn't convert. Then immediately foul the first IWU guy who touched the inbounds pass if WU hadn't tied the game. When the WU guard missed the layup without at least getting fouled, the game was basically over. The WU guy who rebounded the miss, probably didn't have time, but he should have thrown it anywhere outside for a last split second trey attempt. Once he settled for a layup, with IWU being smart enough not to foul, the game was over.

[WUPHF]

Whether option A or B was the way to go, it looked like the Bears were not quite sure what they were trying to do. 

[...]

I do think IWU defended the play well.  The Titans had the shooters covered, switching a couple times on the perimeter, and challenged Knupp's drive well without fouling (Rose).

I feel guilty complaining about that last possession because I have no complaints about the offense otherwise (well, the free throws), but I agree: it looks like the Bears were unsure if they were going with Plan A or Plan B.

If the plan was to go for the three, Andrew Sanders was open near the top of the key.  That pass would have been the best first pass regardless of the plan.  But as you said, hindsight...

I apologize if I disparaged the IWU defense which was great all night...

I watched the third to last possession on the Bears Sports Network and the play is too hard to see from the rafters, but Bears got an unfortunate call when Sanders rebounded the ball and passed it to the wing while falling out of bounds.  The official ruled that he stepped on the baseline.  Easy to see from 15 feet away, but a tough call for the official who was on top of the play.  Such is basketball...

[WUPHF]

I would bet all my stock in D3Sports.com that without that collision on the put-back, we would not be discussing a game winning in-bounds play...

Just my opinion...

[hopefan]

Looks like a 3-1 Monday for the CCIW, upcoming.

'70

Be careful of that Elmhurst - Blackburn game.... just never assume....