MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

This is how I see the CCIW MBB race at this point:

1 Illinois Wesleyan
2 Elmhurst
3 North Central
4 Wheaton
5 North Park
6 Carthage
7 Augustana
8 Millikin
9 Carroll

My IWU/Elmhurst decision is heavily influenced by Jake Rhode's injury and the uncertainly around that.

Here on opening day, I see the top a little differently.  I think it's:
1. Illinois Wesleyan
2. Wheaton

I've heard Jake Rhode (20.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.1 apg) is out for the season at Elmhurst...and that Nick Perry is in a boot (4.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.5 apg).

I believe today NCC is without 6-7 transfer Will Hrubes, returner Will Clausel, and maybe 6-7 transfer Andy McLaughlin.

On the flip side, those who saw the Wheaton vs IWU scrimmage felt Wheaton is really good.  The Thunder have 4 all-conference caliber guys in Nyameye Adom, 5-11 Tyson Cruickshank, 6-5 Cade Alioth, and 6-7 Gavin Hawkins...maybe 6-3 Luke Anthony too.

I see the favorites as IWU and Wheaton.

[Titan Q]

Who does defending champ NCC start today vs NPU? I say:

G Matt Smietanski, 6-0 Sr
G Matt Helwig, 6-2 Sr
G Michael Pollack, 6-3 Sr
G Blaise Meredith, 6-4 Sr
F Brian Johnson, 6-5 So

[iwu70]

Q, I'm not surprised that Cory Noe has risen to the starting line-up.  Seems Ron wants to go big, too, with Bair and Leritz on the floor at the same time.  That's a very strong double low post.  Should be interesting.   

Good luck to all the teams, all the coaches, to stay injury and Covid free this shortened season. 

Go TITANS!

iwu'70

[Gregory Sager]

I believe today NCC is without 6-7 transfer Will Hrubes, returner Will Clausel, and maybe 6-7 transfer Andy McLaughlin.

Neither Hrubes nor McLaughlin was on the Saturday roster that NCC SID Clark Teuscher submitted to the North Park game staff yesterday. Clausel is on it, so I think it's fair to project that he'll at least suit up

Who does defending champ NCC start today vs NPU? I say:

G Matt Smietanski, 6-0 Sr
G Matt Helwig, 6-2 Sr
G Michael Pollack, 6-3 Sr
G Blaise Meredith, 6-4 Sr
F Brian Johnson, 6-5 So

Those are still experienced players, aside from Johnson. Pollack, in particular, is a dangerous weapon from downtown, and Meredith poses one of the biggest matchup problems in the CCIW. I was going to post the other day that the Cardinals are going to be Meredith's team this year, and that's true whether Clausel plays or not.

With regard to the next three days, I do like the fact that the Cardinals are smaller and less experienced inside than they've been recently. North Park is not as small down low as it's been throughout the Slyder era, but the Vikings are still not a team that has a plethora of size. And from what I saw of the Vikings on Wednesday, NPU is going to struggle at first just in terms of insufficient conditioning, especially among the bigs. That month off in December when the school shut down athletics practices certainly didn't help in that regard.

I think that Tom Slyder is going to start:

G	Mike Osborne	6'2	FR
G	Toby Marek	6'0	SR
G	Izaiah Sanders	5'11	SR
F	Jordan Boyd	6'7	JR
F	Matt Szuba	6'6	SR

... although he might opt for 6'4 junior Jalen Boyd instead of Osborne.

[Titan Q]

Augustana should have a couple key guys back today who did not play in the Carroll scrimmage.

[Titan Q]

With regard to the next three days, I do like the fact that the Cardinals are smaller and less experienced inside than they've been recently. North Park is not as small down low as it's been throughout the Slyder era, but the Vikings are still not a team that has a plethora of size. And from what I saw of the Vikings on Wednesday, NPU is going to struggle at first just in terms of insufficient conditioning, especially among the bigs. That month off in December when the school shut down athletics practices certainly didn't help in that regard.

I think that Tom Slyder is going to start:

G	Mike Osborne	6'2	FR
G	Toby Marek	6'0	SR
G	Izaiah Sanders	5'11	SR
F	Jordan Boyd	6'7	JR
F	Matt Szuba	6'6	SR

... although he might opt for 6'4 junior Jalen Boyd instead of Osborne.

Seems to me that is a talented nucleus.  With so many teams having lost so much, I believe NPU can get in the mix.

[devildog29]

Anyone else not able to get the Carroll stream to load?  Have tried on 2 different devices.

[iwu70]

No problem for me, DevilDog. 

'70

[Ceddybear11]

Does anyone know what happened to the Augustana 6'7 transfer, Schein?? Not listed on roster, thanks

[devildog29]

No problem for me, DevilDog. 

'70

Finally got it to work.  Was just getting stuck on the team's stretch portal home page for whatever reason. 

[lmitzel]

I'll have to look at a box later, but final from the hangar:

NCC 69, NPU 49.

I missed basketball. And yelling things.

[Titan Q]

Final from Waukesha:

Illinois Wesleyan 74
Carroll 59

-Pete Lambesis: 24 pts, 4 reb, 3 assists, 6 steals
-Matt Leritz: 15 pts, 10 reb
-Cory Noe: 12 pts, 3 assists

Sloppy 1st half for IWU - 14 turnovers.  Ugly.  But a really nice 2nd half.

IWU shot 53.6% FG, 50.0% 3-point, and out-rebounded Carroll 35-23.

Pete Lambesis was great.

Nice start, 1-0. 

[bbfan44]

Congratulations to Steve D on his first win as head coach at Carthage College.

[iwumichigander]

Oh fly on the wall, it had to be an interesting one way conversation about valuing the ball in the Titan  halftime locker room.  As Q noted, it was "ugly ball" for the Titans first half of the season.

IWU made only six turnovers in the second half to finish with 20 for the game.  The Pios with 2-12 3pt in 1st half was how IWU took a 7 point lead to the halftime break.

[Gregory Sager]

Seems to me that is a talented nucleus.  With so many teams having lost so much, I believe NPU can get in the mix.

Not if they play the way that they played today:

North Central 69
North Park 49

From what I heard from people who watched the game (I was calling the NCC @ NPU women's game at the same time, of course), the Vikings spent the entire game playing street ball -- lots of one-on-one with bad decision-making in terms of shot selection. The fact that they only logged four team assists seems to back up that assessment. Passing is legal in basketball, gentlemen! At least sophomore transfer Adam Sundh had a nice debut, scoring a dozen points off of the bench for the Vikes. Mycket bra, Adam!

Blaise Meredith (25 pts), who might be the biggest matchup oroblem in the league this season, led four Cardinals in double figures.

It's only one game. Let's see if the Vikings can learn from their mistakes and give the Cardinals a more competitive contest on Monday in the crackerbox.