MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[kenoshamark]

Nice win by Elmhurst, really play well as a team.  Rhode is great, but Genco is so fun to watch too, really an unsung hero.  Type of player that helps wins championships. 

[Gregory Sager]

Congratulations to the BlueJays on a thoroughly dominant effort, especially on the defensive end.  They made it tough for Davidson all night.

I was surprised by two things. One, as I posted earlier, it shocked me that Kyle Brummett didn't have Schreiber or one of his other big men set a molars-rattling screen or two on Wesley Hooker right off the bat. Wabash waited until there were only five minutes left in the half before Ahmoni Jones finally set a screen on Hooker. It should've been done within the first few minutes, because Hooker completely face-guarded Davidson the entire time that Hooker was assigned to the Wabash star -- which was almost the entirety of the first half and a couple of brief stretches in the second. Hooker never took his eyes off of Davidson for a moment, and you have to make a defender pay for that if he's taking your best player out of the game by guarding him that way -- which he was.

I was surprised that John Baines didn't use Hooker on Davidson much in the second half. He had Ocean Johnson on him, and Johnson lost Davidson several times. That allowed Davidson to get his scoring total up to a respectable 21. But it was an inconsequential 21 points for sure. The biggest factor in terms of backcourt play was at the other end of the floor, where Davidson and his fellow Wabash guards didn't do a thing to stop Rhode and Genco all night. Genco, in particular, kept driving the lane like he was on a Sunday stroll. And Rhode was Rhode, and when Rhode gets to be Rhode, EU is very, very hard to stop.

As if to say "Uh, remember me?", it was nice to see Jake Rhode asserting himself from the get go and coming away with a performance that surprises none of us on this board.  We've seen it, and been victimized by it, many times before.  Dominic Genco continues amazing play.

The other thing was rebounding. Elmhurst was, what, plus twenty on the boards? People will talk about Wabash's comparative lack of size, but it wasn't size that dictated that huge rebounding disparity ... it was effort and positioning. Elmhurst had both in spades, and Wabash didn't. Heck, EU also got all of the long rebounds that guards usually grab, as well as the inside boards. And the 'jays were masterful in tip-drill rebounds in particular.

Bring it home vs RMU!

As I said on the national boards, Randolph-Macon is clearly the best team in D3. But the best team doesn't always win ... and if any team has a puncher's chance to pull off the upset, it's Elmhurst.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I thought earlier that Elmhurst vs. Randy Mac would be similar to Millikin vs. Hope in the women's tourney, but after their utter destruction of Wabash, I'm no longer certain that Elmhurst is doomed!

[iwu70]

Congrats to Elmhurst.  Great game.  One more . . .

Goodbye Wabash.  Not sorry to see you go.

Rebounding the huge difference for Elmhurst . . . and, as was said, Rhode being Rhode. 

'70

[Mr. Ypsi]

Congrats to Elmhurst.  Great game.  One more . . .

Goodbye Wabash.  Not sorry to see you go.

Rebounding the huge difference for Elmhurst . . . and, as was said, Rhode being Rhode. 

'70

Disagree.  I generally root for whichever team knocks out IWU (after all, if they win it all, we might have a plausible case for #2! ), but made an exception this year since Wabash was taking on a CCIW team.  (Plus, my college choice came down to Wabash or IWU - I'm VERY convinced I made the right choice.)

Go Jays!

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats to Elmhurst.  Great game.  One more . . .

Goodbye Wabash.  Not sorry to see you go.

Rebounding the huge difference for Elmhurst . . . and, as was said, Rhode being Rhode. 

'70

Disagree.  I generally root for whichever team knocks out IWU (after all, if they win it all, we might have a plausible case for #2! ), but made an exception this year since Wabash was taking on a CCIW team.  (Plus, my college choice came down to Wabash or IWU - I'm VERY convinced I made the right choice.)

Wesleyan has prettier girls.

[WUPHF]

 Congratulations to Elmhurst! I have watched a few Elmhurst games this season and I probably could have named five players off the top of my head but I can't even recall hearing the name Domenic Genco. What a game for that dude.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

90-68.

It's almost like in the days leading up to tonight's game that Elmhurst has multiple players that could guard Davidson and force him into an inefficient effort (only 1 3FGM and 4 2FGM) all the while not creating opportunities for others to score easily (1 Assist and 5 TO's) because they don't need that much help.

Since newbies here aren't treated well - kinda like the "grunts" fresh off the bus at a Basic Training military facility - I guess no one will help me if I solicit a good Orthopedic doctor recommendation to help set the broken arm I sustained patting myself on the back while typing this brief missive...

[Pat Coleman]

Hey D3Hoops.com people... your stream of the Final Four SUCKS!!! Doesn't matter if on laptop or phone; WIFI or via 5G - it SUCKS!!!

Hi there -- it's not us, it's the NCAA and Turner Sports. D3hoops.com doesn't stream the national semifinals.

[Wildcat]

 I just wanted to congratulate the Elmhurst University Bluejays on tonight's victory over a tough Wanash team. We were not expecting that type of game. I have to agree with the Illinois Wesleyan fans about Mr Schreiber being a bit of a goon. I believe he affected his team dramatically with his poor behavior. Otherwise I have a lot of respect for their team. Congratulations to both teams.

[iwu70]

Schreiber and Wabash got their just reward . . .  esp. with Elmhurst's fine play. 

Ypsi, come on!  Cheer for the CCIW!   Elmhurst can go all the way, for another great CCIW season.  They will have their hands full today. 

'70

[Gregory Sager]

RHODE WATCH: Jake Rhode will, at long last , play his final game in an Elmhurst uni this evening. The 18th player to join the CCIW's 2K Club, he currently sits at 2,130 career points. He's elevated himself into the CCIW's all-time top ten in scoring, three points ahead of the CCIW's first true superstar, Korean War era Millikin great Scott Steagall. Rhode won't catch late-'60s Millikin immortal Jesse Price, who occupies ninth place with 2,222 points, but that doesn't make Rhode's feat less remarkable. Let's not forget that he's been just as much a facilitator as a scorer; in all four of his full seasons as a Bluejay he's finished in second place in the league in assists.

He's always seemed to be overlooked a bit here, both because Elmhurst doesn't really have much of an active posting presence on d3boards.com and because there's always been somebody else in the league -- a Connor Raridon or an Aston Francis or a Brady Rose or a Nyameye Adom -- who drew most of the oohs and aahs. He never won the MOP award, although he was a three-time All-CCIW first-teamer, twice a unanimous one. But I'm pretty sure that his place in posterity is secure as far as the roll call of all-time great CCIW point guards is concerned.

[Gregory Sager]

Congratulations to recently-retired Augustana sports information director Dave Wrath, who has reached the pinnacle of his profession by being named the recipient of the 2022 CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award.

This is a well-deserved honor for the former dean of CCIW SIDs. Dave did an awful lot behind the scenes not just for Augie, but to make the CCIW in general what it is today in terms of media, communications, and game management.

[GoPerry]

Congratulations to Elmhurst! I have watched a few Elmhurst games this season and I probably could have named five players off the top of my head but I can't even recall hearing the name Domenic Genco. What a game for that dude.

Watching Genco for several seasons, I'm not too surprised he is performing this way.  I've always thought of him as one of those talents capable of doing much more but perfectly happy to defer to someone like Rhode and play the supportive role.  It's nice that he's been encouraged to show more of what he can do in these last few games.  I felt the same way about Derek Dotlich who had that easy lefty stroke from the three point arc and was capable of really lighting it up.

[hopefan]

Elmhurst and CCIW fans... the championship game is not on the internet... It is on the CBS Sports Network, who has exclusive rights to it....

That channel is available on most spectrum systems... channel 139 on my spectrum system... ladies championship game is currently being broadcast there....