MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[augie_superfan]

Wow...big win for Puget Sound tonight.  Looks like a stellar matchup for IWU over the Christmas holiday.  Also, I see your comments, Q,  about Matt Arnold being ready to go for IWU now.  I just have one question for you....do you think Matt will be able to step in and make a contribution right away?  I was just curious if you thought all of his time off would hurt him with the flow of the team?

[Titan Q]

This is the second time this season IWU will face a team recently after a D1 win.  On 11/23 NAIA D1 St. Xavier defeated Illinois-Chicago 74-73.  IWU defeated the Cougars 81-61 on 11/28. 

Now, before we make too much of the Puget Sound win over UC Riverside, let's realize that Riverside is now 0-8.  Their losses are...

@ Washington St 55-86
@ U. of Portland 74-92
@ USC 48=81
@ San Diego 67-94
vs Eastern Washington 70-85
vs Montana 67-77
vs Puget Sound 111-115

Recently on the Top 25 board I stated that I think IWU fits in in the 150's of the Sagarin rating, near Illinois State...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkt0506.htm

UC Riverside is #328 in the Sagarin with only 6 teams in all of D1 listed below - Liberty, North Florida, N.C. A&T, Morehead St, Morgan St, Savannah St.

Regardless, the PS win over a D1 was big and it sets up a big neutral court game in Santa Barbara.  How stupid is it that according to the NCAA, the #1 IWU vs #5 Puget Sound game is basically a non-factor (not an in-region game)?!

[Titan Q]

Augie Superfan, I think Matt Arnold will have a significant postitive impact on the team.  He brings a lot of things to the floor that help, the biggest being he can play the 1 or the 2.  Right now, 2-guard Mike McGraw has been playing point when Dauksas sits.  Also, Matt is a very good 3-pt shooter...55% last year in league play.   With Dauksas, Amelianovich and Freeman, IWU's 2-guard is always going to get great looks.  Starter Jason Fisher is just 4-19 (.211) from 3 this year which is uncharacteristic for him, but reserve Mike McGraw is 11-21 (.524). 

Again, this is a guy who started all 14 CCIW games last year and played very well.  Definitely an "impact player" to get back just at the right time.

[Titan Scouser]

Just to follow up on Q's remarks--it is indeed good for the Titans to have Matt back.  Fisher and McGraw have handled the 2-guard position well, bringing (this season, anyway), different strengths.  As Q noted, Fisher has not been as accurate on 3's as in earlier years, but he is the strongest and perhaps most athletic of IWU's guards.  In the last few games he's made some drives to the basket that would do most frontcourt men proud.  McGraw has also played well.  Options are always good, and having another guard who can play either the 1 or the 2 will help. 

The UPS game sounds like it will be a barnburner!

[heatherfeather24]

Recently on the Top 25 board I stated that I think IWU fits in in the 150's of the Sagarin rating, near Illinois State...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkt0506.htm

Q --

Has IWU ever played Illinois State?  It seems like a geographic no-brainer for an exhibition, but I don't remember one in the 8 years that I've been paying attention.

[Mr. Ypsi]

IWU-ISU was an annual  match-up for many years, and was the top 'grudge match' for both teams.  ISU ended the series when they decided to go d1 (1969?).  We got our revenge for the 'we're too big for you now' slap by beating them in the final game!

[heatherfeather24]

IWU-ISU was an annual  match-up for many years, and was the top 'grudge match' for both teams.  ISU ended the series when they decided to go d1 (1969?).  We got our revenge for the 'we're too big for you now' slap by beating them in the final game!

Thanks, Mr. Ypsi.

That means that my mom (ISU '66) may very well have attended one.  I'll have to ask her.

Happy Holidays to all.

[iwumichigander]

Has IWU ever played Illinois State?  It seems like a geographic no-brainer for an exhibition, but I don't remember one in the 8 years that I've been paying attention.

Record IWU versus Opponents (Illinois State) Prior to 2004-05  W 69 L42

Hum, heatherfeather24, as Mr Ypsi noted, the IWU lifetime record against Illinois State is pretty good.  Recipe for not playing IWU from Illinois State: Take a lifetime losing basketball record against IWU, take a school trying to go D1, agree to play out the final game of a contract commitment but require that it be played at Illinois State rather than the schedule IWU site, play a school 10 times smaller than ISU with an outstanding basketball program and then lose on your own home court to that (sniff, sniff) smaller school down the street .

After that last & classic game, the ISU Athletic Director and staff barely spoke to the IWU Atheltic Director and staff for years despite good feelings at IWU.  If you were to ask ISU -- Would you play IWU on your terms and your court? -- The answers all start with NO

I was at that last game.  I still remember the thrill of that victory and the agony of defeat on the faces of ISU fans, players and coaches.

[ScrappyMcTavish]

What's wrong with North Park athletics? Are they a victim of their facilities? It seems as if everyone in the CCIW is upgrading the athletic facilities and NP is content with what they have.

Why, other than the academics, would a athlete choose to attend NP? I do not mean that as a slight of NP, but the reality is that recruiting is a tough business and most athletes only look at the places they will spend their time... the dorms and the gym.

Is NP in the the process of turning it around? I know they have a new baseball coach this season. Is that the start of things, or the end?

[tjcummingsfan]

Scrappy,

I'd be a little more careful with your "North Park athletics" generalization.  North Park's Men's Soccer team just won the CCIW for the second straight year, and made it to the National Tournament.  The Men's golf team has been decent, and it appears that the cross country team has been improving quite a bit as well.  I recognize that those aren't high profile sports, but they are definitely important to the athletes who participate in them. 

I won't go through all the things I think makes North Park one of the best schools in the country, but I will highlight one huge factor you have overlooked and that is religion.  A ton of kids come to North Park because of its denomonational connection to the Covenant Church.  Our 1st Team All-Region, and Academic All-American Soccer Goalie is at North Park for that very reason. 

And yes North Park is in the process of turning things around.  We have a 2 year-old football/baseball/softball stadium that is fantastic.  We've always had one of the best soccer fields in the CCIW.  And we're set to open a brand new Athletic facility in the fall of 2006 which will include an indoor track, indoor basketball/volleyball courts, a 30yd expanse of the same field turf that is on our new football field, a weight room, and a firtness room. 

Is the Crackerbox anywhere near the kind of facility Wheaton, or IWU have, no (but I do think its alot better than North Central's gym), but it has character, and 5 National Championship banners hanging over the west basket, I think that has to look pretty impressive to any potential players. 

[ScrappyMcTavish]

TJ...

I meant no offense in my questioning of NP. Once I re-read my post I saw the confusion I created. I was referring to the "big three" sports at NP, football, basketball and baseball. I in no way meant to tear NP down. In fact, I love the small gyms instead of the big fieldhouses. Much better to play in if your fans support you in my opinion.

I know some of there other sports are doing quite well, but they are rarely heard from.

During my days at Carthage, we only had one sport with a winning record, baseball. All others were downtrodden programs. Bosko came in and turned the hoops program around and football has also had recent success.

I in no way meant to disrespect the programs at NP, I was just hoping to find out if you thought the programs were on their way up or down. I seems, from your response, that they may be turning the corner. It can only make the CCIW a stronger conference.

How did Bosko land at Carthage? One would think with his success at NP, he would still be there.

[The Roop]

Why, other than the academics, would a athlete choose to attend NP?

Well, it is DIII after all so the "other than academics" concerns should not be the priority.

From what I understand of the Bosko situation there were philosophical differences between he and the University. Exactly what they were, I don't know.

[ScrappyMcTavish]

Roop... thanks for the info.

I don't think that D3 athletes choose a college based on academics all the time. I think there are tons of other factors involved in the decision, a major one being the facilities.

We all know what we were like as 18 year olds. I was about athletics and girls(I still am).

How many high school seniors really choose a college based on it's academic reputation if they are a high caliber athlete? I would bet very few... or the Ivy league school would be winning tons of national championships.

[Titan Q]

With the new NCAA D1 exhibition game rules, I'm one of those who wishes Illinois Wesleyan and Illinois State would get together for a basketball game every November. The exhibition format affords both schools the perfect opportunity to play -- ISU would not be penalized by the RPI and such for playing a D3 and the game would not count for either team.  

A sellout of ISU's beautiful 10,200-seat Redbird Arena would be absolutely guaranteed.  It could be made a community event that supports a local charity with a lot of money raised for a great cause.  It just seems kind of silly to me that Illinois Wesleyan traveled to Champaign to play an exhibition vs the Illini and Illinois State hosted D2 Augustana (South Dakota) - a game that drew 4484 people - when there is such a natural fit between schools 1 mile apart.

IWU and ISU renewed the baseball series two years ago with the creation of the "Horenberger-Bass Classic" - named after former IWU coach/A.D. Jack Horenberger and former ISU coach Duffy Bass.  IWU won the inaugural game in 2004 and ISU won in extra innings last year.  It's been a great success - the players play hard and fans come in red or green, but it's also pretty friendly.  It's a nice community event.

I know for a fact that both basketball head coaches would play the game...I also know that both A.D.'s would not sign off on it at the present time.  (Dennie Bridges was asked about it on WJBC before the IWU/Illini game this year.)   There is a lot that goes into it, but mainly I think both A.D.'s a) want to keep relations between the schools strong, as they are now, and b) like the fact that nowadays many people are fans of both IWU and ISU.  I wasn't around back in the days of the final IWU/ISU basketball game (1969-70), but I've heard the rivalry had gotten way beyond "healthy."  Now there are a bunch of people who go to games at both the Shirk Center and Redbird Arena and pull for both sides of town.  I think the feeling is that it'd be very hard to keep the basketball series "friendly", like the baseball is.  Art Kimball used to always tell me that it would not be a good thing to renew the rivalry.

[ScrappyMcTavish]

ALL RIGHT!!!!! My first negative karma points! I am on the board!

Anybody have any thoughts on the IWU/Puget match-up next week? I saw Puget beat UC-Riverside ( I live in CA) and they were a solid pressure-defense team. Very well coached on the that end of the floor. They also take good shots on offense. It should be a great game. Too bad it is not an in-region game. That would be huge on the national radar.