MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 79
North Central 65

Shamar Pumphrey: 17 pts, 6:4 a:to, 3 stls
Kolden Vanlandingham: 16 pts, 3 stls
Davante Robinson: 11 pts (3-4 trey)
Jordan Boyd: 5:0 a:to, 3 blks
Marquise Jackson: 4 stls

Mitch Lewis: 27 pts (9-9 FT), 12 rebs
Matt Helwig: 14 pts, 9 rebs
Ethan Helwig: 8 rebs

This was an impressive win by NPU, not only in that the Vikings beat a good team, but because they had to stave off multiple Cardinals runs in order to do so. NPU enjoyed a double-digit lead for most of the middle of the game, but NCC cut it to two at one point and to four in a couple of other instances, due in large part to the phenomenon that is Mitch Lewis and to out-of-this-world free-throw shooting, as the Cards were a perfect 17-17 from the line (the CCIW record is 20-20, incidentally). But each time NCC got close, the Vikings had an answer and built the lead back out ... and eventually the Cards had no more runs left in them, and the Vikings were able to win the game by a deceptive 14-point margin.

NCC turned the ball over 23 times, 12 of 'em courtesy of Vikings steals. The Vikings' aptitude for thievery is really something special. I can't help but think that NCC head coach Anthony Figueroa, one of the best defenders this league has ever seen, has to be ruefully impressed by what the Vikings can do.

Barring a CCIW tournament meet-up, this will be the first and last time that North Park will ever face Mitch Lewis. And good riddance, I say. That man is a beast.

And now, three words I hate to say but feel I ought to say anyway: Go Illlinois Wesleyan!

[kiko]

At the Crackerbox, where all the world's a stage:

North Park 79, North Central 65

The Vikings led this one from the early minutes onward, leading by as many as 16 and keeping things in the 7-12 range for most of the second half.  From here in the cheap seats, the fact that the Cardinals were within 10 at any point beyond the first ten minutes was against the run of play.

NPU is a really good team that forces you to play their game at their tempo, and that is not a style the Cardinals fare well against as they struggled to match the Vikings' athleticism throughout the contest.  This was exacerbated by the officials' generally letting the two teams play*, which will on aggregate help the more aggressive, pressing team moreso than one playing a more traditional style of defense.

(* - To be clear, this went both ways.  Exhibit A of this is the officials stopping play to check on a Cardinal who was popped in the face by a wayward Viking arm, but not calling a foul for the contact itself.  Exhibit B is the stationary Viking who, early in the second half, was bumped hard enough by a Cardinal defender that both of his feet moved off their marks; he was called for a traveling violation.)

The Sons or Warden were kept in this game by the human highlight film that is Mitch Lewis and by outstanding (17-of-17 free throw shooting).  I can't speak to whether NPU played particularly well or poorly versus their baseline as this is the first time I've seen the Vikings this year, but North Central was in many ways its own worst enemy for much of the night, consistently trying to dribble through traps, holding the ball low amidst a swarm of defenders' hands, and not looking, via either set plays or the extra pass, for ways to create open three point shots.  The worst thing you can do against a team like North Park is to get stationary as you are essentially inviting trouble, and this was a common reaction by the Cardinals tonight.  North Central averages 12 turnovers per game and now have had 20 and 23 in their two meetings with North Park, several of which were unforced and careless, which is indicative of how challenged they are to play the Vikings style of game.

North Park
Shamar Pumphrey with 17
Kolden Vanlandingham 16
Davante Robinson 11

North Central
Mitch Lewis 27 and 12 in 22 minutes
Matt Helwig 14

[kiko]

Around the league:

Elmhurst 70, Carthage 64 in Kenosha
Millikin 79, Augustana 73 at Big Blue Curtain Arena
North Park 79, North Central 65 at the Crackerbox

Illinois Wesleyan at Wheaton in an evening matchup

Carroll is presumably exploring the Western Frontier as Pioneers are wont to do.

[iwu70]

IWU and Wheaton tied at 35 at the half.  A good defensive game so far.  Tons of fouls.

'70

[iwu70]

No words . . .

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton beats Illinois Wesleyan in a game of Rock'em Sock'em Robots, 72-71.

[tjcummingsfan]

Oof, that call at the end of the Wheaton IWU game seemed really generous. 

[Stertorous Thunder]

Oof, that call at the end of the Wheaton IWU game seemed really generous. 

In real time, I thought so too. But in replay, the defender touched Cruikshank's shooting hand. Cruikshank falling to the floor looked like an oversell but I think it was a foul. But I also understand why you might think differently if you're wearing a green shirt.

[Gregory Sager]

WC 72, IWU 71

Tyson Cruickshank: 21 pts, 8 rebs
T.J. Askew: 17 pts
Nick Schiavullo: 12 pts
Eddie Scott: 10 pts (3-5 trey)

Cody Mitchell: 18 pts, 13 rebs
Ryan Sroka: 16 pts. 10 rebs
Harrison Wilmsen: 12 pts
Hakim Williams: 10 pts, 5:0 a:to
Lucas Heflen: 10 pts

In a very physical game that featured 47 personal fouls, it was a questionable call at the final buzzer that decided it. After Cody Mitchell's hook shot in the lane put IWU up by one in the last few seconds, Tyson Cruickshank threw up a midcourt prayer at the buzzer -- and was rewarded with a foul call on IWU's Harrison Wilmsen for what the Wheaton kids calling the game referred to as "landing in Tyson's landing zone," whatever the heck that means. (For one, "landing zone" is not a thing in the NCAA men's basketball rulebook. And if it was, if you land first, isn't it your landing zone and not the other guy's?) Cruickshank missed the first FT to heighten the drama, but made the second and third to give Wheaton the winning margin -- although the 4/10ths of a second put back on the clock by the officials nearly resulted in a 94-foot inbounds tip-in for the Titans, except that Mitchell couldn't corral the ball in order to tip it.

The game had no double-digit leads, 18 lead changes, and 16 ties, and each team held the lead for fifteen minutes and change. So how did the Titans manage to take the clearly quicker and better-shooting Wheaties down to the wire? They gooned it up a bit, or, as Mike Schauer charitably put it in his postgame interview, "they physically imposed their will upon us." Surprisingly, Wheaton fought back by bodying up the Titans in turn. Hence, the 47 personal foul calls.

Mitchell and Ryan Sroka kept IWU in this one. Alas, for as much of a warrior as Mitchell was tonight, his five missed free throws spelled the difference between victory and defeat. Cruickshank was Wheaton's hero, as per usual, but the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance doesn't walk off the floor with the W without very valuable contributions from Eli Considine and T.J. Askew.

I thought that the play of the game was Wheaton's Andrew Williams coming from out of nowhere to grab a long rebound with 16 seconds left after Cruickshank, whom everyone in the building no doubt believed was going to hit the game-winner, clanked a trey attempt. Williams was fouled and made one of two FTs to break a 69-69 tie and give Wheaton the lead that Mitchell would thereupon take back.

Instant CCIW classic.

I guess that North Park is just going to have to do its own dirty work on Wednesday in the crackerbox.

[Gregory Sager]

Oof, that call at the end of the Wheaton IWU game seemed really generous. 

In real time, I thought so too. But in replay, the defender touched Cruikshank's shooting hand. Cruikshank falling to the floor looked like an oversell but I think it was a foul. But I also understand why you might think differently if you're wearing a green shirt.

He isn't. But tjcummingsfan always wears a royal blue and gold shirt, which tonight amounted to the same thing.

[Gregory Sager]

It appeared Elmhurst's Wesley Hooker is not playing today.

The 'jays didn't need him. They beat Carthage in Tarble without him, 70-64, behind double-digit-scoring performances by Elmhurst's entire starting five: John Ittounas (16), Tagen Pearson (15), Matt Woloch (12), Ocean Johnson (10), and Jonathan Zapinski (10). Fillip Bulatovic had 20 and 12, Antuan Nesbitt contributed 18, and Julian Campbell had 12 for Carthage, which has suddenly gone into free-fall with three straight losses, the last two in Kenosha.

Millikin held serve in Decatur against Augie, 79-73, to draw within a game of the Rock Islanders for seventh place. Nate Straughter had 19, JT Welch added 17, and Noah Livingston recorded 10 points to lead the way for the Big Blue, while Augustana was paced by Tyler Knuth with 22 (including 9-11 from the field and 4-6 from downtown). Matt Hawkins added 15, Matt Hanushewsky 11, and Dan Carr 10 in the losing cause.

[USee]

I thought the last play was definitely a foul (and a replay seems to confirm there was contact on Tyson's arm on the shot), but given the way the game had been played, it was probably the least amount of contact I had seen most of the game so wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't called.

Heck of a game and a tough one to be on the losing side.

[tjcummingsfan]

I thought the last play was definitely a foul (and a replay seems to confirm there was contact on Tyson's arm on the shot), but given the way the game had been played, it was probably the least amount of contact I had seen most of the game so wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't called.

Heck of a game and a tough one to be on the losing side.

Maybe that's what I meant by generous.  I actually thought a foul could have been called against Wheaton on the shot just seconds before that briefly gave IWU the lead.  Definitely a rough way for IWU to lose. 

Always blue and gold, yes, and generally always whatever colours are playing against Wheaton. 

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton	8-1	16-2
North Park	7-2	14-4
Carthage	5-4	12-5
Illinois Wesleyan	5-4	8-8
North Central	5-4	10-7
Elmhurst	4-5	12-6
Augustana	3-6	5-13
Millikin	2-7	9-9
Carroll	1-7	4-13

Monday
Illinois Wesleyan @ Linfield (6-10)

Tuesday
Illinois Wesleyan @ George Fox (4-12)

Wednesday
Augustana @ North Central
Carroll @ Carthage
Wheaton @ North Park

Saturday
Illinois Wesleyan @ Augustana
North Park @ Carroll
Wheaton @ Carthage
North Central @ Millikin

[Gregory Sager]

I thought the last play was definitely a foul (and a replay seems to confirm there was contact on Tyson's arm on the shot), but given the way the game had been played, it was probably the least amount of contact I had seen most of the game so wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't called.

I've watched it about ten times now on Twitter, and it looks less and less like a foul to me every time that I watch it.

"Bad call" seems to be the D3 Twitterati consensus as well, even among those who aren't part of the IWU/Yeshiva Axis of Cross-Cultural Bonhomie.

But the Titans missed two good looks in the last minute that would've broken the 69-69 tie in their favor, and Cody Mitchell missed his last three free throws of the game. The Titans had their chances to win it without the game coming down to an iffy foul call, and they couldn't take advantage of them.