MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[joehakes]

The QOWI will play a big role in seletion of Pool C teams.  Someone will have to finish a strong second (assuming Augie wins the CCIW tournament) and have a quality QOWI to get in.  Win-loss records are important, but the QOWI's will be a primary criterion.

The good news is that most of the teams in the CCIW provide good opportunity for good number games.  

It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the end.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I think the CCIW can count on two bids to the tourney.  Beyond that the other two teams (whoever they may be) will be in the crapshoot with everyone else for about 8-10 spots (depending on how our favorites do in their own conference tournaments.

QOWI is the most important thing that will go into this study.  Regional rankings are really the most important, but they traditionally have been based almost exclusively on QOWI.  That's where the focus needs to be.

Elmhurst and NCC are both in trouble in the QOWI unless they pull some upsets.  A first round tourney win for either would go a long way.

Fianlly, glad for the analysis bluemom, but the d3hoop.com rankings mean nothing to the committee members.  IWU's high reputation nationally will mean nothing if they end up 5th or 6th in the Midwest rankings next week (I can't imagine that happening, but hey).

[John Gleich]

I think Augustana is the only team that can really be considered a Pool C lock.  Even if they, say, lose to Illinois Wesleyan and North Central, (after beating Carthage, Wheaton, and Millikin) and then lose in the first round of the Conference tournament, they still will be 20-3 in-region, with a high QOWI.

Illinois Wesleyan still has some work to do, I think, before they can be considered a lock.  If they lose to Elmhurst and Augie, that puts them at 5 regional losses... in order to be in Pool C contention, they'd need to lose a conference tournament game... and that's 6 losses.  Even with the expanded brackets, that may not be enough to get in.

Elmhurst already has 5 regional losses.  Even if they win out, they'd have to lose a conf tourney game, putting them at 6... see IWU comments above.

North Central stands at 4 losses... If they can get by the rest of their schedule unblemished, and then lost in the conf tourney, then they're at 5 losses... this might get them in... but it means they'll have to beat Elmhurst, in Elmhurst, and Augie, on the last night of the regular season.  One thing to note... 5 or their last 6 are at home, which may give them an advantage.

Bluemom, one important thing to note is that, regardless if IWU was ranked #1 all season, these rankings have absolutely no bearing on bids to the NCAA tournament.  The D3hoops.com rankings are subjective rankings, taking into account the percieved quality of opponents and discussion of "untangibles" and similar words have importance for the rankings... but not for the NCAA committee.  

The committee has fairly objective criterion that are heavily critical of a team's regional record against D3 teams in (for the CCIW's case) the Midwest region, and for teams not in the Midwest region that are within 200 miles (for example, the WIAC is in the West region and the MWC is in the Midwest region... when UW Oshkosh and Lawrence played in the first weekend of the year, it counted for their regional records, even though the teams are not technically in the same "region" as described by the NCAA, the schools are 10 miles apart.

[John Gleich]

Hoopsfan,

While I agree with your assessment to a point, I think that regional losses have been a very important determining factor in years past, even moreso than SOSI (now QOWI).  For example, two years ago, UW River Falls had 7 in-region losses... regardless of their SOSI, they still didn't "measure up" compared to other schools.

It is important to note that there are 11 more at-large bids, however I'm not sure if UWRF would have even managed to stand up, with that many regional losses.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I guess that's true to a point, but if you're below the standard "line of demarcation" whether it is 6 or 7 regional losses this year (probably about right), the losses don't necessarily matter.  THey might matter more in the competitive regions (GL, Midwest), but for the most part a 4 loss team with a high QOWI will get ranked above a two loss team with a slightly lower QOWI.  At least that has been the trend in my view.  The Midwest is more competitive, so that doesn't necessarily happen as often.  They may also have a more qualified ranking committee as well.

[79jaybird]

Unfortunately, there are teams with winning records and great players that will get left out come tournament time.  I think Augie is a lock for a pool C whether or not they win the CCIW Tournament based on their number of wins.
Again, EC/NC/IWU are all in the same boat and there are arguments for/against each school.  I think the real race is between these 3 to see who will accompany Augie. 
Bluemom, great points.. remember 2001 EC won the CCIW, but IWU and Carthage also made the tournament, so getting 3 teams in though rare, is not impossible.
Elmhurst could really give themselves a huge boost if they could beat IWU Saturday. Will be difficult because the Shirk Center is a tough building for visitors.

[The Roop]

The Midwest is more competitive, so that doesn't necessarily happen as often.  They may also have a more qualified ranking committee as well.

OMG, where would you like your case of Chapstick sent      

[dansand]

I don't see anybody beating Augie during the remainder of the reg. season.   .

I don't see it either, but then again I'm not making the trip to any of their games.  I wouldn't be surprised if they lost one or two more.  It's just too tough to get all the way through the CCIW.

Do you guys realize that no one has gone undefeated in the CCIW in 32 years! That means no one has ever done it since there's been a Division III. That's a lot of GREAT teams. Sikma's teams didn't do it. None of the great North Park teams did it. Wesleyan's national title winners didn't. Augie's two national runners-up didn't. Augie's great team with John Laing and Bruce Hamming didn't do it...oh, wait, yes they did. We're barely past the halfway point, and, while I'd obviously love to see it, I think we're getting way ahead of ourselves with talk of a perfect conference season.

P.S.
Johnny Augie, don't worry about your karma. Keeps ya from speakin' yer mind.

[Titan Q]

I've heard that Carthage is getting Trey Bowens (academically ineligible) back for the game @ Augie Saturday.  Can anyone confirm?

Bowens was leading the Red Men in scoring before he became ineligible, averaging 16.1 per game.  He started all 10 of the games he played in.

[Titan Q]

I should have just checked the Carthage site first...

Bowens and Shemerdiak Return This Week:   Carthage guards Trey Bowens (So., Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove-South) and Bill Shemerdiak (Fr., Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), both declared academically ineligible on Jan. 1, are eligible to play starting Feb. 1.  Bowens, who started the first 10 games of the season, was leading the Redmen in scoring with a 16.1 per-game average, will dress for the Feb. 4 Augustana (Ill.) game and is expected to play.  Shemerdiak, who appeared in eight games and averaged 1.4 points per game, dressed for the Feb. 1 Wheaton (Ill.) contest but did not see action.  Center Mike Hart (Jr., Bolingbrook, Ill.) withdrew from school for personal reasons in December.  Hart, who played in the first 10 games of the season and made nine starts, was averaging 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[/i]


http://www2.carthage.edu/athletics/mens/basketball/release.html

[pistol]

Wezzlyn fans complaining about how hot the gym was, slivers from the bleachers, white painted walls, how the place smells (last night it smelled like a AARP meeting). If you don't like NC gym you should stay at home and feed the pigs or sell some insurance.
How quickly you forget the arm pit that was Fred Young Fieldhouse. While attending the Jack (Never Showed Up) Sikma basketball camp a rat ate my lunch.
I did notice how no Wezzlyn fans complained about how poorly the game last night was officiated. Typical.

[dansand]

pistol,

I'm pretty sure Dennis is a North Park supporter and Robert Goulet is a backer of North Central.

[The Roop]

I thought the gym being too hot was the reason they lost to Augustana. Now the gym was too hot again and they won. I don't get it. Were I a fan of a pre-season #1 that is now in danger of missing out on a Pool C, I'd savor every win regardless of gym temperature and not complain about anything.

Through entirely made up sources I've learned that the remotely controlled adjustable rims at Augustana passed the initial trials with flying colors and should be used in games very soon.

[Elmhurst_Mom]

I swear i do nothing else in my life for fun other than watch b-ball and read posts on this site...who needs any other entertainment---you guys are killin' me!!  who needs tv...funny stuff

...and i'll whine a little here....went to the elmhurst/millikin game last night...thought the game would never end-----if i heard one more foul whistle i would have fallen out of my seat...or jumped!!  felt like i was watching a game being officiated by martha stewart and she was giving "t's" out for party favors---everybody gets one!!  game was physical but not unlike any other cciw event...

[The Roop]

Don't get me wrong. I have absolutely no problem with IWU bringing home the Maple and Bronze this year. Beloit certainly isn't likely to do it but I think too many gave it to IWU in April of last year. I guess the people that gave it to them forgot to tell everybody else that this season wasn't cancelled.