MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Central's Massey reading has been corrected, with the loss to RMUC added. However, none of today's games have been factored in yet. So the current Massey, save for CC, EC, and MU, is:

    7. North Park
  18. Illinois Wesleyan
  20. Augustana
  40. North Central
  52. Wheaton
  60. Carroll
  95. Carthage*
124. Elmhurst*
369. Millikin*

Massey sez:

@ LaVerne 85, Carthage* 83 (LaVerne 53%, CC 47%)
Carroll 70, @ MSOE 58 (CU 85%, MSOE 15%)
@ Illinois Wesleyan 77, Chicago 74 (IWU 59%, Chicago 41%)
North Central 74, Wartburg 73 (NCC 52%, Wartburg 48%)

[Gregory Sager]

New poll is out:

13. North Park
18. Illinois Wesleyan
20. North Central

Carroll is still receiving votes, but Augustana has dropped right off the map as far as the poll is concerned.

[iwu70]

Yup, new poll.  NPU getting closer to top 10.  Wash U to 25.  Surprised Augie went to nowhere, zilch, nada. Sure looks to me like Chicago should be top 25. 

Chicago-IWU game should be a good one.  Come on, Q, get us some video streaming.  Want to watch that one for sure!!!  IWU will have to protect the paint and rebound the heck out of this one.  I think guarding the trey line will be key, as UC really does shoot it well.  Titans too, when they get going at home.  Should be a game in the 90s, by all accounts.

IWU70

[4samuy]

Blaine Crawford has been unexpectidely out of his mind.  No question IMHO the most improved player in the UAA.  He causes huge matchup problems for many teams with 6'8 Collin Barthel as a stretch four able to pull many bigs out on the perimeter leaving Crawford to clean up underneath. To my surprise, Chicago is a matcup nightmare.  I will say that they have played a majority of their quality
opponents at home.  The NPU game was awesome, but it will be interesting to see how Chicago performs on the road against IWU and at home against Babson.  Also the UAA is a yearly war.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm really looking forward to seeing that Babson @ Chicago game in person at the end of the month.

[4samuy]

I'm really surprised the respect d3.com continues to give North Central

[Gregory Sager]

I wonder how many of the pollsters are aware of the fact that Raridon is hurt and will be out for an extended period?

[AndOne]

I wonder how many of the pollsters are aware of the fact that Raridon is hurt and will be out for an extended period?

Come on now, Mr. Sager. We have been assured multiple times by the powers that be that the Top 25 voters are all-seeing and all-knowing. Omniscient in their knowledge of all things about all teams. Surly they are aware not only about Mr. Raridon's current condition, but even about the loss of the 6'7" Mr. Fehrle, NCC's 6th man in the early going, for the rest of the year. 

Besides, if they didn't know it before, you just informed them of such. 

[Gregory Sager]

I kinda doubt that a lot of Top 25 pollsters read this particular board.

[USee]

I kinda doubt that a lot of Top 25 pollsters read this particular board.

Sure they do. Why wouldn't they?

[AndOne]

I'm really surprised the respect d3.com continues to give North Central

It is a little surprising 4samuy. However, perhaps payback is responsible as in previous recent years the Cardinals weren't always given the credit they should have been afforded.

Seriously, with 3 losses, including a preformance produced in a lesser galaxy, and another that had the odor of Limburger cheese, it is a bit surprising that Cards currently occupy the 20th spot. A tribute to the remaining original starters Alex Sorenson, Jagger Anderson, Erwin Henry, and Aiden Chang? Perhaps, as they are certainly a talented group. Recognition of the improving Jack Bronec, and the emergence over the last few games of freshmen Nick Chambers (double figures in the last 4 games) and Matt Cappelletti (double figures in the last 2 games), and their expected continued meaningful contributions? Who knows?
If the ranking isn't deserved, hopefully the Cardinals can use the misplaced honor as inspiration to elevate their level of play. If it is deserved, then the return of Connor Raridon can make NCC a truly formidable team down the stretch.

[AndOne]

I kinda doubt that a lot of Top 25 pollsters read this particular board.

Sure they do. Why wouldn't they?

Ya, why wouldn't they?
Wouldn't that be an obvious and easy way to accumulate some of the voluminous amount of information they obviously possess?

[iwu70]

I'm surprised NCC is still at 20 and very surprised Augie is not getting at least some love, some votes in ORV. 

Keep winning, keep rising in the poll.  The lesson for NPU and IWU.  Chicago a big challenge.  Glad it's at home @The Shirk.

IWU'70

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I'm surprised NCC is still at 20 and very surprised Augie is not getting at least some love, some votes in ORV. 

Keep winning, keep rising in the poll.  The lesson for NPU and IWU.  Chicago a big challenge.  Glad it's at home @The Shirk.

IWU'70

I'm surprised NCC dropped so far - the voters must have actually heard about an injury.  That's pretty rare.

[kiko]

I suspect a big part of what keeps North Central ranked is their wins over two other ranked teams.  When you get past 15 or so on the list, everyone will be flawed in one way or the other, and these two results at least give a voter some proof points versus teams that are relatively well regarded.