MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Pat Coleman]

I'd just add there are always scorers in the Top 10 of PPG who never get a look for AA, just because of the level of competition they play during the year.  Stats may be an indicator, but stats alone aren't going to be super predictive.

It goes without saying that if you play in the CNE or the SLIAC or the MASCAC or the UMAC you have a steep hill to climb in terms of making the D3hoops.com A-A team, but you're right that it should probably be said, anyway.

But it's not impossible -- the All-America team posted above contains a MASCAC member.

[GU1999]

In order to support the notion that lesser conferences do not get the A-A love that they from time to time deserve, I enter 7 year NFL vet Nicholas Morrow from UMAC school Greenville into the conversation.  12 LBs listed ahead of him. He was honored to make 2nd team AFCA A-A though.   

A-A for basketball and football are probably not apples to apples. And I totally get it that tracking 400 schools is almost impossible. 

[iwu70]

U Chicago beats #2 Emory in Atlanta, in OT.

#1 and #2 losing this week.

'70

[GusD]

U Chicago beats #2 Emory in Atlanta, in OT.

#1 and #2 losing this week.

'70

After what should be an easy win today the Green Weanies should be 16-2 with a distinct chance to move up to at least #3 in the next poll. Will any of the voters rank them #1?

[Gregory Sager]

Don't like to criticize other broadcasters, but the Millikin student PBP guy keeps leaning out of the treehouse in the Griz and yelling at the refs while he's still got the headset on. Not cool.

His partner's really good, though. Nice color work.

[Gregory Sager]

Still, I'd say that Massey is probably most accurate when forecasting that the DuPage County Battle of the Birds in the airplane hangar will be a nail-biter. That could very easily be the best game of the day.

Kudos to Ken's computer, because North Central and Elmhurst are going to overtime.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 69
Millikin 61

Rico Powell: 20 pts, 4 stls
Davante Robinson: 17 pts
TJ Gardner: 13 pts

Lane Thomann: 20 pts
Nate Straughter: 14 pts
Demarcus Bond: 7 rebs
Noah Livingston: 4 stls

North Park slogs out a road win which was, to borrow a Maddenesque football term, a "slobberknocker." Very, very physical, to the point of a technical foul being assessed at one point, with 37 fouls called between the two teams. NPU again tried to force the tempo, and I think that Millikin played into the hands of the Vikings a bit by not eating up the shot clock until there were single digits left on it, which is what they did to great effect in Chicago last month. But the Big Blue more than made up for it with defensive execution and the ability to match the Vikings point-for-point for much of the contest. Their most fatal flaw was their inability to resist North Park's relentless ball pressure, as MU turned the ball over 25 times, 14 of them coming on NPU steals.

NPU again shot poorly from downtown, as the visitors settled too much for shots from range against MU's zones, but towards the end of the game the Vikings went on a bit of a hot streak from three-point land that got them separation, and then rode it out by making FTs down the stretch.

The Vikings thus keep pace with Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan, as both the Firebirds and the Titans won today; all three remain tied atop the standings at 8-1 apiece, while Millikin drops into a tie for fourth with Elmhurst at 4-5, a game ahead of North Central and Augustana at 3-6 each.

[Gregory Sager]

Augustana rode Tyler Knuth to a near-upset in Kenosha this afternoon, getting to within one point of the Firebirds in the final minute. But at that point Carthage's defense clamped down, Augie was unable to make shots, and the Firebirds closed it out by making their FTs to dodge what would've been a catastropic home loss. AJ Johnson had a superb game with 29 points that was as much quality (8-12 FG, 3-5 trey, 11-13 FT) as quantity. Riley Brooks had a nice day of shooting as well (6-11 FG, 3-6 trey) for 16 points, and Ryan Johnson bounced back from his injury to record a 13 and 14 double-double. Griffin Daun had a 5:2 a:to ratio, as the five Carthage starters accounted for a whopping 86% of the minutes played by the Firebirds today. Knuth, meanwhile, hit the 30-point mark, but he had to earn it the hard way; he was only 8-23 from the field and 3-13 from downtown, making up the margin by shooting 11-13 from the line. He was joined in double figures for Augie by Matt Hawkins with 11, while Chase Larsen and Ray Maurchie had 13 and 7 boards, respectively.

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst edged North Central in an overtime barn-burner in Naperville, 77-73, as Vinnie Adjahoungbeta hit a parabolic shot from close in with two seconds left despite slipping and having his feet come out from under him in mid-shot. NCC threw away the inbounds baseball pass, and EU sealed the deal with a pair of Dom Trelenberg FTs after NCC immediately fouled. There were 19 lead changes in this game and neither team ever led by more than eight points, but, still, this game has to taste like ashes in the mouths of Cardinals fans, as their team held the lead for nearly two-thirds of the game. Trelenberg paced the victors with 20 and 8, Sebastian Blachut fouled out in OT with 19 points, Aidyn Boone contributed a dozen points, and Adjahoungbeta ended his afternoon with a 10 and 11 double-double. Alejandro Diaz led NCC with 19 points, and he was joined in double figures by Terrance Moncrief (16), Tyler Swierczek (12), and Ethan Helwig (10).

[Gregory Sager]

Lightning was not likely to strike twice for Wheaton in terms of threatening Illinois Wesleyan this season, and that was borne out by an easy 90-68 win for the Titans at Shirk in the day's only noncompetitive game. Nick Roper led the way with 23 and 7 for IWU, while Mason Funk added 17, Harrison Wilmsen recorded 14 and 9, and Hakim Williams had a superb (10:1) floor game. Wheaton was led by Kyan VanderWoude with 20 and 8, with Soren Richardson also scoring 20.

[markerickson]

I howled and chuckled with my companion when Roper, IWU's 6'8" (listed height) AA candidate, missed a breakaway slam dunk at Foster and Kedzie.

[iwu70]

Mark, Roper got his beautiful clean dunk tonight! 

Greg has covered it, IWU over WC easily tonight, no OT this round, 90-68.

For Wheaton:

VanderWoude 20 and 8
Richardson, really playing well, 20

Wheaton at 40%, 32% from three, 73% FTs.

For IWU:

Roper 23 and 7
Funk 17
Wilmsen 14
Williams 6 and 10 assists
Boldt 3 blocks

IWU at 42%, 26% from three, and 80% from the FT line.

Key line for IWU -- rebounding 50-28.  Just too much size often for IWU over the smaller WC Thunder. 

IWU to 16-2, 8-1.

Carroll comes to The Shirk on Wednesday, 7 p.m. 

IWU playing with good energy tonight, the depth again playing a part in this win.

IWU'70

[Gregory Sager]

I howled and chuckled with my companion when Roper, IWU's 6'8" (listed height) AA candidate, missed a breakaway slam dunk at Foster and Kedzie.

Always take the layup down the stretch in a close game on the road rather than trying to administer a facial to the other team's fans. Taijon Barry, who gets his fair share of dunks but has also donged a breakaway slam himself at Foster & Kedzie, got a long pass from Rico Powell today for a run-out opportunity with a minute to go and North Park up by seven. Rather than indulge himself, Taijon did the smart thing and simply finger-rolled the ball into the cylinder. I pumped my fist and almost jumped out of my chair when he did that, not just because it put NPU up by nine but because he resisted what must've been a powerful feel-good impulse and instead did the right thing for that situation.

[lmitzel]

Elmhurst edged North Central in an overtime barn-burner in Naperville, as Vinnie Adjahoungbeta hit a parabolic shot from close in with two seconds left despite slipping and having his feet come out from under him in mid-shot. NCC threw away the inbounds baseball pass, and EU sealed the deal with a pair of Dom Trelenberg FTs after NCC immediately fouled. There were 19 lead changes in this game and neither team ever led by more than eight points, but, still, this game has to taste like ashes in the mouths of Cardinals fans, as their team held the lead for nearly two-thirds of the game. Trelenberg paced the victors with 20 and 8, Sebastian Blachut fouled out in OT with 19 points, Aidyn Boone contributed a dozen points, and Adjahoungbeta ended his afternoon with a 10 and 11 double-double. Alejandro Diaz led NCC with 19 points, and he was joined in double figures by Terrance Moncrief (16), Tyler Swierczek (12), and Ethan Helwig (10).

Given how the Cardinals got trounced at Faganel earlier in the year, it was nice to be in this one the whole way through. But it was definitely a bitter game. Arguably it shouldn't have gone to the extra session as the Cardinals shot 3-8 from the stripe in regulation, though the Jays have the same argument (9-17, including 4-11 in the second half).

That drubbing of Wheaton feels like a lifetime ago, as the Cardinals have dropped four in a row.

[Gregory Sager]

Arguably it shouldn't have gone to the extra session as the Cardinals shot 3-8 from the stripe in regulation, though the Jays have the same argument (9-17, including 4-11 in the second half).

Bad free-throw shooting by North Central is almost man-bites-dog level of surprise, given how phenomenal the Cardinals as a team have been at the charity stripe over the past couple of seasons.

That drubbing of Wheaton feels like a lifetime ago, as the Cardinals have dropped four in a row.

Not going to get any easier for Vince Kmiec & Co., as they have to travel to the Griz on Wednesday. That's always an unpleasant journey, but it's twice as unpleasant now because the Big Blue are a formidable opponent. Nobody from Millikin posts here, so it never gets said, but Kramer Soderberg has done a great job with that program. I think that the Big Blue will be a tough customer for as long as he's there.