MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[lmitzel]

This crew had several inexplicable moments.  Of course the ones that stick out to me were the ones against the visiting team.   9 first half Wheaton fouls vs only 3 for NCC was tough to understand.  The second half started out 4 on WC and 1 on NC when the refs seem to have an "Uh oh" moment and started evening things out the rest of the way. 

As a neutral observer I didn't have a problem with the foul disparity; I was giving the furrowed brow more to what they were calling than to who they were calling them against. But I agree with you that there were some make-up calls against the Cardinals in the second half. I hate make-up calls, even when they work in NPU's favor. There's two reasons why: 1) they're an admission of incompetence on the part of the officiating crew; a referee or umpire in any sport should take from Martin Luther the motto, "Sin boldly", by asserting that every call they make is the right one, unless they're challenged by their officiating colleague; and 2) by definition, make-up calls lead an official astray from his or her true task, which is to call the game as objectively and as honestly as possible. If one team fouls more than the other -- even a lot more than the other -- then so be it. It happens all the time.

Even as a not neutral observer, I don't begrudge Schauer for complaining about a 9-3 foul disparity (especially given that I'm still not over the last time prior to Saturday that Wheaton came to Naperville, their women's team was called for a grand total of seven fouls in a double overtime game), but even if you grant him some calls in that department, you get Wheaton up to maybe single bonus, while the Cardinals would have been in the double bonus pretty easily. End of the day, I'm inclined to agree with Greg. Disparities happen, but as long as the game is being called fairly it's all good at the end of the day.

Maybe the best example of the refereeing mindset where they were actively looking for stuff to whistle was the 2nd H play where Chang stepped out of bounds driving baseline but the outside ref, having no vantage point to view the play, over ruled the baseline official and called a foul on Cruickshank for pushing when Chang showed no evidence of being pushed at all.

Yeah, that was definitely a bad one. I think that the problem that Mike Schauer was having was that he had wasted his ammo on mildly questionable calls (such as some of the travels) earlier in the game, which meant that he was annoying the officials into giving his complaints less credence when he had a more legit beef, such as with this foul on Cruickshank.

To kind of hammer the "Schauer wasted his ammo" argument home, remember that he had been warned late in the first half after complaining about the aforementioned disparity. Maybe he felt he couldn't go to hard on that one because of said warning. At the time I didn't think much of it, but I also had a similar angle to the trailing official who called the foul, so I didn't get the best look at it. I was okay with the call, but I know at the table we had a similar discussion about whether said official could overrule the one on the baseline.

[BobbyO]

Who is the top team in the League, IWU, Wheaton, NC or Elmhurst?

I don't think Augustana should be excluded from this list. 

Seems like the 5 current 1-loss teams are all extremely even. 

I think the CCIW champ will go 3-1 vs Carthage and Carroll and 4-0 vs North Park and Millikin.

Augie has to prove they can keep their head in the game.  Too much letting them back in.  I'm just hoping for a bid this year.  Conference Champs 6 in a row would be great.  Automatic Bid and I think I will have died and gone to Augie Heaven.

[sac]

Who is the top team in the League, IWU, Wheaton, NC or Elmhurst?

I don't think Augustana should be excluded from this list. 

Seems like the 5 current 1-loss teams are all extremely even. 

I think the CCIW champ will go 3-1 vs Carthage and Carroll and 4-0 vs North Park and Millikin.

Augie has to prove they can keep their head in the game.  Too much letting them back in.  I'm just hoping for a bid this year.  Conference Champs 6 in a row would be great.  Automatic Bid and I think I will have died and gone to Augie Heaven.

Isn't that just a bar on 2nd Ave.

[GoPerry]

Maybe the best example of the refereeing mindset where they were actively looking for stuff to whistle was the 2nd H play where Chang stepped out of bounds driving baseline but the outside ref, having no vantage point to view the play, over ruled the baseline official and called a foul on Cruickshank for pushing when Chang showed no evidence of being pushed at all.

Yeah, that was definitely a bad one. I think that the problem that Mike Schauer was having was that he had wasted his ammo on mildly questionable calls (such as some of the travels) earlier in the game, which meant that he was annoying the officials into giving his complaints less credence when he had a more legit beef, such as with this foul on Cruickshank.

To kind of hammer the "Schauer wasted his ammo" argument home, remember that he had been warned late in the first half after complaining about the aforementioned disparity. Maybe he felt he couldn't go to hard on that one because of said warning. At the time I didn't think much of it, but I also had a similar angle to the trailing official who called the foul, so I didn't get the best look at it. I was okay with the call, but I know at the table we had a similar discussion about whether said official could overrule the one on the baseline.

I wouldn't doubt your Schauer comments.  He might've been white noise static to them by then.

Fwiw:  https://northcentralcardinals.com/watch/?Archive=60&type=Archive

14:18 second half . . . 1:36:05 on the tape.  Hard to even see Cruickshank touch him much less force him out of bounds . . .

Big games this week in the CCIW. 

Just cut/paste this comment for the next 7 Mondays . . .

[BobbyO]

Laing, Boster, Hamming, etc., can pop the corks on the champers.

Sports Illustrated Article "The Swedes are Meatballs no More"
https://www.si.com/vault/1973/01/22/542618/the-swedes-are-meatballs-no-more

The 73 Letter Winners

John Laing
Bruce "Bone" Hamming
Drew Boster
Mark Brooks
Chuck Menzer
John "Johnny B" Brundige
Jim "Super Sub" Van de Casteele
Bruce "Puff Ator"
Tom "Glass" Miler
Mike Kolze
Carl Fricke
Neil "The Eel" Johnson
Mike Michalski (The 1 who shut out the Gobber in 74)
Bill Childers Manager (the only C.A. to bust me)
Bill Kuehl (The only only one I don't remember)

Where are they today?

[BobbyO]

Who is the top team in the League, IWU, Wheaton, NC or Elmhurst?

I don't think Augustana should be excluded from this list. 

Seems like the 5 current 1-loss teams are all extremely even. 

I think the CCIW champ will go 3-1 vs Carthage and Carroll and 4-0 vs North Park and Millikin.

Augie has to prove they can keep their head in the game.  Too much letting them back in.  I'm just hoping for a bid this year.  Conference Champs 6 in a row would be great.  Automatic Bid and I think I will have died and gone to Augie Heaven.

Isn't that just a bar on 2nd Ave.

Lee's on 38th and 14th now an Auto Parts Store, The Hilltopper 30th and 13th still there.  2nd Ave would be in the Mississippi River.  Make me laugh!

[lmitzel]

Congrats to Connor Raridon, your latest CCIW Player of the Week!

[Gregory Sager]

Who is the top team in the League, IWU, Wheaton, NC or Elmhurst?

I don't think Augustana should be excluded from this list. 

Seems like the 5 current 1-loss teams are all extremely even. 

I think the CCIW champ will go 3-1 vs Carthage and Carroll and 4-0 vs North Park and Millikin.

Augie has to prove they can keep their head in the game.  Too much letting them back in.  I'm just hoping for a bid this year.  Conference Champs 6 in a row would be great.  Automatic Bid and I think I will have died and gone to Augie Heaven.

Isn't that just a bar on 2nd Ave.

2nd Ave would be in the Mississippi River.

Exactly. Augie heaven is a sandbar.

Sounds about right to me.

[Yogao]

Who is the top team in the League, IWU, Wheaton, NC or Elmhurst?

I don't think Augustana should be excluded from this list. 

Seems like the 5 current 1-loss teams are all extremely even. 

I think the CCIW champ will go 3-1 vs Carthage and Carroll and 4-0 vs North Park and Millikin.

Augie has to prove they can keep their head in the game.  Too much letting them back in.  I'm just hoping for a bid this year.  Conference Champs 6 in a row would be great.  Automatic Bid and I think I will have died and gone to Augie Heaven.

Isn't that just a bar on 2nd Ave.

Lee's on 38th and 14th now an Auto Parts Store, The Hilltopper 30th and 13th still there.  2nd Ave would be in the Mississippi River.  Make me laugh!

The Hilltopper or just Kavies we called it was my Heaven. Many a days I Irished up some coffee on the walk down campus. 

[kiko]

Sports Illustrated Article "The Swedes are Meatballs no More"
https://www.si.com/vault/1973/01/22/542618/the-swedes-are-meatballs-no-more

That article was worth reading for the style of prose, let alone the content...

[BobbyO]

Lee's on 38th and 14th now an Auto Parts Store, The Hilltopper 30th and 13th still there.  2nd Ave would be in the Mississippi River.  Make me laugh!
[/quote]
The Hilltopper or just Kavies we called it was my Heaven. Many a days I Irished up some coffee on the walk down campus.
[/quote]

Senior year my favorite hangout was Hunter's on 5th Avenue near 21st Street.  Best burgers in the Quad Cities and walking distance from the house rented on 22nd Street.  Unfortunately one night as we were leaving (7 of us who lived in an old house now on the Historical List) a gentleman came in and sat down in the back at a booth.  Next thing we knew Rock Island Police and Para Medics show up.  He had been shot on 22nd Street just north of where we lived.  Last time we walked there!

[lmitzel]

I posted this over on the football board as well, but at halftime tomorrow night NCC is honoring the Stagg Bowl champions, which is maybe the second-most exciting thing about tomorrow's game (not sure how a Walnut and Bronze from a different sport stacks up against The Belt^TM ).

North Central is actually making this a whole "National Championship Week," and at halftime on Saturday will also honor the women's triathlon team that just three-peated.

[79jaybird]

Elmhurst up to #11 but that worries me, because history tells me at times Elmhurst has climbed up the rankings, they go ahead and stumble the next game(s).   The Jays better not take Augie for granted.  Really, other than perhaps 1 CCIW school, everybody is capable of knocking off each other any given night.   
IMO I think this game is going to be won/lost on the boards and who is rebounding well to start the transition. 

[Titan Q]

Freshman PG Jack McDonald is no longer on Augustana's roster.

https://athletics.augustana.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst up to #11 but that worries me, because history tells me at times Elmhurst has climbed up the rankings, they go ahead and stumble the next game(s).   The Jays better not take Augie for granted.

I wouldn't worry about that. Nobody's taken Augustana for granted for close to twenty years now.

Freshman PG Jack McDonald is no longer on Augustana's roster.

https://athletics.augustana.edu/sports/mens-basketball/roster

Wow.