MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

Gregory Sager · February 20, 2024, 08:57:17 PM

Carthage and Augie scored 48 points between them in the first half of one quarterfinal.

North Central and Carroll scored 40 points between them in the first half of the other quarterfinal.

It's Elmer Fudd ball in Kenosha and Naperville ... lots and lots and lots of failing to get the bunny.

Gregory Sager · February 20, 2024, 09:49:07 PM

Carthage holds off a tenacious Augie effort and wins a tight one courtesy of final-minute FTs, 64-60.

Much better-played second half by both teams.

Gregory Sager · February 20, 2024, 09:56:08 PM

Another tight one pulled out by the home team, as North Central prevailed over Carroll, 58-54.

lmitzel · February 20, 2024, 11:02:40 PM

Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 20, 2024, 09:56:08 PMAnother tight one pulled out by the home team, as North Central prevailed over Carroll, 58-54.

The final minute down on Carroll's side... FIVE missed layups is wild to me.

Ethan Helwig: 19 pts, 12 reb
Ken Thomas: 13 pts, 9 reb
Sean Molloy: 11 pts

Kobe Simpson: 22 pts, 4 reb
Echahelo Simpson: 12 pts, 4 reb
Jacob Naber: 8 reb

Gregory Sager · February 20, 2024, 11:27:35 PM

Quote from: lmitzel on February 20, 2024, 11:02:40 PM
Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 20, 2024, 09:56:08 PMAnother tight one pulled out by the home team, as North Central prevailed over Carroll, 58-54.

The final minute down on Carroll's side... FIVE missed layups is wild to me.

Par for the course, considering how the game started. It was like someone had shrunk the diameter of the rims in the hangar by a couple of inches.

Stertorous Thunder · February 21, 2024, 06:36:46 PM

Quote from: deepthroat on February 20, 2024, 06:32:43 PMWhat happened to the park's season?

I would love to get an insider's (ahem, Gregory Sager?) take on how the wheels came off the North Park wagon so spectacularly. Prior to the season, it seemed obvious that the returning starters and key contributors would show the additional growth and production that one would expect from another year of development. And although a few players graduated last year, the roster for this season seemed like it added as much talent as it lost. To most observers, I think a national championship run was a realistic goal.

The 2023-2024 Vikings had every indication that they would coast to 20+ wins, consistently rank in the upper half of the D3 Top 25 poll, and earn an at-large tournament bid if they were somehow upset in the CCIW tournament. A drop-off in offensive production and shooting percentage doesn't seem adequate to explain this timeline where the Vikings went 11-14 and missed the CCIW postseason.

Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan) · February 21, 2024, 07:38:17 PM

Greg's going to have a much more detailed take on the specifics of the NPU team, but I think this illustrates just how thin the line is between 10-15 and 20-5. So many d3 teams are loaded with talent that can win games - and the magic of putting it all together has so many variables and so many things that can throw the season off if they're just slightly out of whack. Any success is very much miraculous.

GoPerry · February 21, 2024, 10:51:53 PM

Thanks to Pat et al for getting the boards back up and running. Having said that, for Thunder fans, we didn't miss it that much - on the mens or ladies side.

Titan Q · February 22, 2024, 01:35:39 PM

Here is my 22-round look at Pool C as of this am.

https://x.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1760671321665798573?s=20

SpartyBlue · February 22, 2024, 02:16:33 PM

It's amazing how much the ARC may benefit this season from the precipitous decline in quality records in the CCIW and WIAC. This conference has belonged in the larger conversation of non-automatic qualifiers for years, but there was rarely room at the table.

Greenguy · February 22, 2024, 07:07:04 PM

Q Glad to see you back. I've missed your commentary.

voxelmhurst · February 25, 2024, 08:55:25 AM

John Baines has now coached five Elmhurst squads to national tournament qualification.

Elmhurst played their best ball all year this weekend in Bloomington.

bbfan44 · February 26, 2024, 04:02:10 PM

I have no idea how to look this up, but it sure seems like a long time since the CCIW got only one team into the NCAA Tournament. If they had a "play in" game like D1, perhaps IWU might have been selected to play.

lmitzel · February 26, 2024, 05:03:41 PM

Quote from: bbfan44 on February 26, 2024, 04:02:10 PMI have no idea how to look this up, but it sure seems like a long time since the CCIW got only one team into the NCAA Tournament. If they had a "play in" game like D1, perhaps IWU might have been selected to play.

CCIW website has a full history. Last time the league only got one team in was 2007.

Gregory Sager · February 26, 2024, 06:53:33 PM

The last time that the CCIW only got one team into the dance was 2007, when Augustana, which won both the CCIW and the CCIW tourney, was the league's sole rep in the D3 tourney. Interestingly, the WIAC only got in one team that year as well.

I re-read the late February 2007 posts here this afternoon, and gave myself a headache trying to remember what QOWI* stood for.

The difference between this season and 2006-07 is that the league performed in the opposite manner back then than it did this season. This season the CCIW was underwater at 40-41 in non-conference play; in 2006-07 it went a whopping 66-22 in non-conference play. The problem was that the league absolutely cannibalized itself in 2006-07; everybody except for Augie and Elmhurst failed to reach double-figure CCIW wins and took at least five CCIW losses, leaving only Elmhurst as a viable Pool C possibility. And the Bluejays played a poor non-conference schedule (which Elmhurst head coach Mark Scherer later publicly blamed upon too many local teams refusing to play his team) that badly hurt the 'jays in the end, despite the fact that they finished the season 21-6.

* Quality Of Wins Index