MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Central 122
Greenville 103

Capaletti with 47 points, Raridon's line: 18-15-12.  That's not a triple-double, it's a locker combination.

LOL!

Both Cappelletti's huge scoring total and Raridon's triple-double have to come with the usual System asterisks, of course. Cappelletti popped a couple or three treys, but he was basically the guy who camped out under the rim all night and waited for his teammates to break the press and give him open layups. As for Raridon, the only two triple-doubles that CCIW players whose initials aren't "Steve Djurickovic" have achieved over the past dozen seasons are Raridon's tonight and Tim McCrary's 35-18-10 night against Grinnell ten seasons ago. And that's not a coincidence.

What impressed me more about Raridon's performance tonight than the triple-double were his floor ratio and his stamina. Comparing him again to McCrary's numbers against a System team, the former Wheaton superstar paid the price for being Wheaton's focal point against Grinnell back in 2009-10 by turning it over eight times, putting him close to a quadruple-double. But Raridon only turned it over four times tonight. That's a terrific 3:1 ratio; any ballhandler would be happy to have a night like that against any team, but to do that as the primary ballhandler against a System team is pretty remarkable. The other thing noteworthy about Raridon tonight was that he was on the floor for 36 minutes. Heck, I'm gasping for air just thinking about being on the floor for 36 minutes against a System team.

[Gregory Sager]

Micah Martin was back on the court tonight and played well, as did Wofford and Trimble. Alma made the Augie win a little tougher than expected.

I caught the end of the game. What I saw was Jack McDonald stepping up and being the man in the final two minutes of a game that could've definitely gone either way, a la Hunter Hill and Nolan Ebel.

[Titan Q]

Calvin 89
IWU 83

https://www.iwusports.com/boxscore.aspx?id=7244&path=mbball

* Derrick DeVries: 28 points, 10 reb
* Alex Box: 18 pts, 8 reb, 3 assists
* Thad Shymanksi: 18 pts, 2 reb, 3 assists
* Emmett Warners: 14 pts, 6 reb, 3 assists

* Keondre Schumacher: 24 pts
* Grant Wolfe: 19 pts, 4 reb, 5 assists
* Charlie Bair: 10 pts, 10 reb
* Doug Wallen: 9 pts, 8 reb, 3 assists

This was a great game.  In the end, IWU just could not stop Derrick DeVries...and everything the Titans did to try to stop him allowed for open looks from other talented Calvin players.

I thought the Titans played incredibly hard tonight.  IWU just looked like a team trying to figure it out down the stretch.  Calvin looked like a more experienced, confident team.

Tough loss but I think more positives than negatives in this one for IWU.  The Titans have a chance to be a good team.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton 90
Principia 71

[Titan Q]

Illinois Wesleyan vs Alma, 4:30pm Saturday 11/16 at the Shirk Center...

Illinois Wesleyan (1-1)
G - Grant Wolfe, 5-11/185 Jr.  19.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
G - Keondre Schumacher, 5-11/175 So.  17.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apg
G - Pete Lambesis, 6-4/195 So.  10.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg
F - Doug Wallen, 6-5/210 Jr.  9.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
F - Charlie Bair, 6-7/220 Jr.  8.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg

Alma (0-1)
G - Cole Kliever, 6-0/185 So.  21.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
G - Kyle Woodruff, 6-2/200 Sr.  17.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.0 apg
G - Mitch Bussell, 6-3/170 So.  3.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F - Zach Sinke, 6-6/230 Sr.  5.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
C - Brandon Rake, 6-7/220 So.  4.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg


Links
IWU game program - https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/iwusports.com/documents/2019/11/14/Game2_3_Calvin_Alma.pdf

Season preview - http://www.iwuhoops.com/preview2020.pdf

WEXG Radio (Eric & Joel) - http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/WWHP

IWU notes - https://www.iwusports.com/news/2019/11/14/mens-basketball-titans-look-to-keep-rolling-against-calvin-alma.aspx

Video (Eric & Joel) - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/iwu/

Live stats - https://www.iwusports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

[Titan Q]

I won't be able to watch the IWU/Alma game tomorrow - driving down to Waco to go to the Baylor/OU game with my Godson.  The Titans will need to bounce back and win that one.

[kiko]

North Central 122
Greenville 103

Capaletti with 47 points, Raridon's line: 18-15-12.  That's not a triple-double, it's a locker combination.

LOL!

Both Cappelletti's huge scoring total and Raridon's triple-double have to come with the usual System asterisks, of course. Cappelletti popped a couple or three treys, but he was basically the guy who camped out under the rim all night and waited for his teammates to break the press and give him open layups. As for Raridon, the only two triple-doubles that CCIW players whose initials aren't "Steve Djurickovic" have achieved over the past dozen seasons are Raridon's tonight and Tim McCrary's 35-18-10 night against Grinnell ten seasons ago. And that's not a coincidence.

What impressed me more about Raridon's performance tonight than the triple-double were his floor ratio and his stamina. Comparing him again to McCrary's numbers against a System team, the former Wheaton superstar paid the price for being Wheaton's focal point against Grinnell back in 2009-10 by turning it over eight times, putting him close to a quadruple-double. But Raridon only turned it over four times tonight. That's a terrific 3:1 ratio; any ballhandler would be happy to have a night like that against any team, but to do that as the primary ballhandler against a System team is pretty remarkable. The other thing noteworthy about Raridon tonight was that he was on the floor for 36 minutes. Heck, I'm gasping for air just thinking about being on the floor for 36 minutes against a System team.

As I'm sure you heard, the NCTV17 announcers were quite surprised that this was Raridon's first-ever triple-double.  I also said to myself that can't be right, figuring a guy who averaged 13-6-7 and 18-7-5 in the past two years would have done so at least once.  But while he's had a few double-doubles, including some with rebounds and some with assists, he'd never hit the trifecta.  Closest he came was an 18-11-9 tally against Illinois Wesleyan in 2018.

There are two games in the books, and I still have no idea how to assess the Cardinals.  The Oshkosh game was probably a mix of (1) first game rust; (2) the Cardinals not playing especially well with a few players off their usual sharpness level -- Raridon missed a number of bunnies that we've seen him hit a million times (same can be said for Jack Flynn on the other end); and (3) the Cardinals not playing especially well because Oshkosh does that to teams.  How much each of those played a role is anyone's guess.  And a system game won't really tell you anything.

This year has the potential to be something special if a lot of things go the Cardinals' way, but it'll be a couple more games before we start to see a consistent water level.

[GoPerry]

Wheaton over Principia 90-71

Nyameye Adom      24 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asst
Tyson Cruickshank   23 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asst
Cade Alioth      12 pts, 10 rebs
Thomas Lipscomb   10 rebs

It's hard to make any conclusions about this team after the opening game and against a team predicted to finish last in the SLIAC.  But I was pleasantly surprised by some of what I saw.  Players like Alioth and Gavin Hawkins, both with limited minutes in past seasons, looked very comfortable out there and ready to step their game.  Some very nice contributions from the likes of soph Thomas Lipscomb and junior Collin Uveges both seeing the playing floor for the first time in their career and playing big minutes.  Freshman Andrew Williams is a hard work and hustle guy who has some offensive tools.

UW River Falls will be a tougher opponent tomorrow night.

[lmitzel]

North Central 122
Greenville 103

Capaletti with 47 points, Raridon's line: 18-15-12.  That's not a triple-double, it's a locker combination.

LOL!

Both Cappelletti's huge scoring total and Raridon's triple-double have to come with the usual System asterisks, of course. Cappelletti popped a couple or three treys, but he was basically the guy who camped out under the rim all night and waited for his teammates to break the press and give him open layups. As for Raridon, the only two triple-doubles that CCIW players whose initials aren't "Steve Djurickovic" have achieved over the past dozen seasons are Raridon's tonight and Tim McCrary's 35-18-10 night against Grinnell ten seasons ago. And that's not a coincidence.

I get wanting to put an asterisk next to the triple double given the opponent, but I'd argue if you're going to do that, said asterisk needs to be a small one. Connor's 18 points were pretty much another day at the office, and enough came in a half court set that the points part wasn't a result of The System. For assists, this is the ninth time he's reached double figures (and he was only one off his career high/program record). Rebounds... yeah, 15 against anyone other than a System team is a big ask.

Cap's 47... yeah, put an asterisk next to that one in the record book.

As I'm sure you heard, the NCTV17 announcers were quite surprised that this was Raridon's first-ever triple-double.  I also said to myself that can't be right, figuring a guy who averaged 13-6-7 and 18-7-5 in the past two years would have done so at least once.  But while he's had a few double-doubles, including some with rebounds and some with assists, he'd never hit the trifecta.  Closest he came was an 18-11-9 tally against Illinois Wesleyan in 2018.

I can't speak for the NCTV crew, but it surprised the hell out of me. I peeked in on the stats with maybe a little less than 10 minutes to go really only because of Cap's scoring, but also because I wanted to see if Connor had a shot at the single game assist record. When I looked first, he was at nine, with the tenth coming on a home run pass to Cap. I didn't even look at the other two categories,  but shortly after that happened Clark Teuscher leaned over to tell me that Connor had logged the first triple-double in program history, much less his career. It was neat getting to sit on that nugget until his dad pulled him with just under two to play.

[Gregory Sager]

Mind you, Lucas, I'm not disparaging Raridon's performance at all. On the contrary, there's an awful lot to be impressed by in regards to it once you look deeper into the numbers. But the System not only puffs up stats, it just plain distorts them as well.

F'rinstance, while I realize that Raridon has hit double figures in assists several times over the course of his career, the fact that the System's defensive phase requires that the ball be double-teamed -- backcourt and frontcourt -- opens up the possibility for the opposing team to collect more dimes than a vending machine. In Greenville's three games thus far this season the Panthers have given up 40 assists to Centre, 41 assists to Central, and 40 assists to North Central. The primary ballhandler of the opposition, in particular, tends to go hog-wild with the assists totals. Each of the three opponents of the Panthers this season has had a player reach double figures in assists against Greenville; Centre's Dawson Crump got his 10 assists in only 22 minutes off of the bench!

If you look at the individual-performance numbers that I post after NPU games, you'll see that I always give out floor ratio numbers rather than simply post the number of assists by itself. And I only post it if the ratio is 2:1 or better and if there's a sufficient number of assists to act as a baseline. Yes, assists are very important, but they don't tell the whole story about how good of a night the player had with the ball in his hands when he wasn't shooting it. If he racks up eight assists, that's impressive -- but if he also turned the ball over six times, then that wipes out the impressiveness of those eight assists to a large degree. So simply posting the fact that Player X had eight assists when you report the numbers for the main contributors leaves out crucial information; as it turned out, Player X didn't have nearly as good a night with the ball as you're letting on.

That's why I contrasted Raridon's night to Tim McCrary's from ten seasons ago. I can't remember if you were an NCC student when McCrary played for Wheaton, but if you don't remember him I can testify that he was most certainly no slouch; he was a three-time d3hoops.com All-American (first team as a senior) and the CCIW MOP his senior season as well. But those eight turnovers he had that triple-double night against Grinnell -- a number which one would expect against a System team from the guy who had his hands on the ball the most -- illustrated the distortion inherent in numbers produced against a System opponent. The fact that Raridon only turned it over four times -- in 36 minutes of playing time, no less -- is what's impressive, because they really legitimize the twelve assists in a way that lessens the tendency to shrug one's shoulders at a number like that obtained against Greenville.

[Ultimate Titan Fan]

Calvin 89
IWU 83

Got there late (I thought it started at 7:30). The radio commentary stated Calvin was returning all their starters from last year. I certainly believe it. They executed so well, and the shooting was lights out.

[iwumichigander]

I thought the Titans looked good against Calvin, played hard and had a chance to win.  One thing that stood out last night - this Titan team is quicker than previous editions. 

Calvin has a new coach from Division II Northern Michigan.  A previous Calvin grad. Under Calvin's old coach - you really did not to watch game film as the team played the same offense and defense.   You could even predict other time outs and adjustments.  This Calvin team albeit experienced is playing a different style.

[oldknight]

Calvin 89
IWU 83

Got there late (I thought it started at 7:30). The radio commentary stated Calvin was returning all their starters from last year. I certainly believe it. They executed so well, and the shooting was lights out.

Close, but not quite right. Four of Calvin's starters are back, though the Knights lost their starting post player, plus their top three reserves off the bench, including the top freshmen in the MIAA last year. Still, your point is well taken. Calvin appeared to be the more veteran team last night.

[kenoshamark]

Carthage has inserted Bulatovic into the starting lineup in place of Perry tonight.  Rest of the starters the same as the other night

[kenoshamark]

Carthage down 68 to 63 at half.  Johnson and Kedrowski with 16 each.  19 turnovers are just killing them.  Thought they would be better prepared.  I get it's hard to replicate the pace in practice,  but just some awful turnovers so far.