MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Aurora 80
Millikin 74 (OT)

http://www.millikin.edu/athletics/mbasketball/m-mil03_081.htm

Traveled down to beautiful Decatur this evening to catch the Big Blue/Aurora tilt.  Some random thoughts...

Millikin is probably accurately slotted in that #8 preseason slot in the CCIW.  The Big Blue have some nice pieces, but they also have big holes and they play very, very sloppy at times -- not unlike Illinois Wesleyan really, but I think IWU is a better team right now.  I should note that the Big Blue have been without returning 6-7 starting center Joscar Demby so far this year -- he was in street clothes tonight, but not sure exactly what the injury is.  Demby's absence really hurts Millikin. 

The Big Blue started:

G Devin Demby (6-1, So)
G Mark Patrick (6-0, Jr)
G/F Tunde Ogunleye (6-2, Jr)
G/F Bob Burton (6-4, So)
F Robert Rexroade (6-8, So)

They're trying to play Rexroade at the 5 and he is just not a back-to-the-basket guy at all.  Rexroade is a 3/4 who is better facing the basket...he looked lost tonight when he'd get the ball down low on the blocks.

I have no idea what the situation with 6-7 sophomore Zach Ott is.  He only played 11 minutes, and just 4 total in the 2nd half + OT.  Millikin is very, very small by Division III standards, starting basically 4 guards and a small forward (Rexroade) and for some reason they're not playing what would appear to me to be their best low post threat in Ott.  When Demby gets back it will help them quite a bit as MU just has no post game right now.

Other notes on a few individual players...

#10, Jake Mott (6-0, Jr) - little stocky guard who hit 4 big 3's down the stretch in regulation to get Millikin to OT...has a scorer's mentality, wanted the ball.

#21, Tunde Ogunleye (6-2, Jr) - followed Marc Smith from Keystone College to Millikin...a true "slasher" type who can get to the basket and also shoot the 3...a little out of control for my liking, but he's not bad.

#20, John Harmsen (6-3, Jr) - a spot-up 3-point shooter...pretty good from beyond the arc when his feet are set.

#35, Bob Burton (6-4, So) - plays the 3 and 4...pretty active player.

#32, Keanon Harrington (6-0, Sr) - comes off the bench and plays the point...I'm surprised he doesn't start actually.


I went to the game expecting to see a big, physical Millikin team (thinking of returners 6-7 Joscar Demby, 6-7 Zach Ott, and 6-8 Robert Rexroade) and was surprised to see a very small, guard-oriented team.  I do think the Big Blue will be a lot better with J. Demby returns from whatever injury he is suffering from.

Aurora and Millikin look just about dead-even to me, and I think the OT result confirms that.  Aurora looks a lot like IWU's 2006-07 squad -- a superstar, 1st Team All-American candidate (Larry Welton) that kind of sticks out like a sore thumb because there is just not enough surrounding him (I understand their PG is hurt?).  I didn't see anything that remotely resembles a Top 25 team in the Spartans.  The Albion team that I saw on opening weekend looked like a lot better squad than AU.  Maybe I caught Aurora on a bad night, but I drove north feeling kind of bad for giving them votes in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll the first couple of weeks.

[Mr. Ypsi]

km, good to see that I wasn't totally crazy drafting Shemerdiak #4 in last year's fantasy draft - I was just premature!   I had to bench him after four consecutive games of negative points, but so far this year he's averaging well over 20.

[Jim Matson]

Wheaton over Chicago 75-73.

Wheaton led 43-27 at the half only to have Chicago come storming back and make a game of it.  Wheaton never trailed in the second half but it came to within 2 points twice in the final 3 minutes -  Kinsella for Chicago had 2 three pointers in those 3 minutes.  Andy Wiele had 31 points for Wheaton (huge!), and Raymond and Panner had 17 each.

Good game.

[Titan Q]

Wheaton/Chicago, Augie/La Crosse, and Elmhurst/Oshkosh boxscores...


http://athletics.wheaton.edu/Sports/mbball/mbbstats/mwhe4.htm

http://www.augustana.edu/athletics/mbasketball/stats/2007-08/08mbb04.htm

http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/MBasketball/2008/EC1.html


Oshkosh shot 36 FT's to Elmhurst's 12.

Only 4 Wheaton players scored, and the Thunder had zero points off the bench...80% of Wheaton's 55 field goal attempts came from 3 players (Wiele 18, Panner 14, Raymond 12).

[Greek Tragedy]

Oshkosh shot 36 FT's to Elmhurst's 12.

I was at the game, I thought it was reffed pretty well.  Though I'm a WIACer, I'm hardly an Oshkosh homer.  Sure, Oshkosh went to the line 36 times and Elmhurst only 12, but Oshkosh also only committed 10 fouls the whole game.  I would be surprised if you heard Elmhurst's coach complain about the fouls.  Ruch was unstoppable, especially when his defender, Dane Seckar-Anderson, picked up his 4th foul early in the 2nd half...they basically just let him score without fouling him.  Oshkosh's guards did a lot more penatrating while Elmhurst's usually settled for short (or long) jumpers.  Three of the 12 made was on one play when Burks got fouled shooting a 3-pointer.  I guess that's just my opinion. 

Just a reminder that Augie takes on 3-0 UW-LaCrosse tonight at Carver Center, 7:30 tip-off.

I think this is a HUGE surprise.  La Crosse may have been 3-0, but their wins were hardly impressive.  They went to Sheboygan and won on a layup at the buzzer to beat Lakeland, a team Point just beat by 38.  They topped in-town NAIA rival Viterbo by 10, who usually isn't that good and then they squeaked by Ripon by one, a team picked 6th in the top-heavy MWC.

[Titan Q]

Oshkosh shot 36 FT's to Elmhurst's 12.

I was at the game, I thought it was reffed pretty well.  Though I'm a WIACer, I'm hardly an Oshkosh homer.  Sure, Oshkosh went to the line 36 times and Elmhurst only 12, but Oshkosh also only committed 10 fouls the whole game.  I would be surprised if you heard Elmhurst's coach complain about the fouls.  Ruch was unstoppable, especially when his defender, Dane Seckar-Anderson, picked up his 4th foul early in the 2nd half...they basically just let him score without fouling him.  Oshkosh's guards did a lot more penatrating while Elmhurst's usually settled for short (or long) jumpers.  Three of the 12 made was on one play when Burks got fouled shooting a 3-pointer.  I guess that's just my opinion. 

Just a reminder that Augie takes on 3-0 UW-LaCrosse tonight at Carver Center, 7:30 tip-off.

I think this is a HUGE surprise.  La Crosse may have been 3-0, but their wins were hardly impressive.  They went to Sheboygan and won on a layup at the buzzer to beat Lakeland, a team Point just beat by 38.  They topped in-town NAIA rival Viterbo by 10, who usually isn't that good and then they squeaked by Ripon by one, a team picked 6th in the top-heavy MWC.

Tom, I should clarify that I didn't mean to imply that somehow Elmhurst got jobbed...just that the FT disparity really jumps out from the boxscore.  Usually that really is just a matter of one team attacking the basket harder than the other, which it sounds like Oshkosh did tonight.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I saw that UW-Osh/Elmhurst box score: Ruch was 14-17 from the field, the team shot 62% from the field and 100% (12-12) from the line - and lost!

That FT disparity for the home team looks mighty suspicious.  Anyone see the game?  Legit or 'home-cooking'?

Rough night for the CCIW vs. WIAC, with the above, plus Augie 'making' the game-winning 3 but having it waved off for a charging call.  I'm always leery of 'ref-baiting' (and only rarely indulge in it myself), but I'm having trouble shaking the feeling that rather than WIAC 2 - CCIW 0, it may be Zebras 2, CCIW 0.

[Before hitting 'post' I saw Old School's post, and respect his perspective, but I've still got these nagging doubts in my head. ]

[Greek Tragedy]

One note at the end of the game...

I'm surprised how Elmhurst defended Oshkosh's inbounds play with 4 seconds left.  The inbounds is just to the left of the basket and NO ONE is defending the player throwing the ball in.  I've always been in the school of thought that you don't want that player to have a "free look" throwing it in...and then when that player is Oshkosh's BEST PLAYER (D.J. Marsh), it was pretty obvious that he was going to get the ball back.  Sure, it's easy to say in hindsight, but I almost said to the guy next to me that Marsh was going to get the ball back.  Sure enough, he throws the ball in, gets a screen, steps out near the 3-point line and drills a baseline jumper for the win.  If Marsh isn't throwing it in, there might be a possibility that you may want to double him, but to leave him open on the inbounds pass...

[Gregory Sager]

Hope used to play  North Park regularly in the  90's......91-92-94-96-97-98-99, haven't played since.  When Carthage joined the MIAA CCIW challenge the common denominator between Hope v North Park/Carthage meetings became Bosko Djurikovic.

Hope and Wheaton have played 30 times, but hadn't played for 5 years until the challenge started, and only 3 or 4 times in the 90's.

Calvin v Wheaton has been an annual meeting for as long as I can recall, and a natural fit.

I don't believe Hope or Calvin had much of a history with Carthage prior to the challenge.

I made a personal plea to Glenn Van Wieren at the Aurora regional last year for him and Paul Brenegan to get together and schedule a two-year contract between NPU and Hope. GVW told me that he'd love to play the Park, but I remain skeptical.

[Greek Tragedy]

Tom, I should clarify that I didn't mean to imply that somehow Elmhurst got jobbed...just that the FT disparity really jumps out from the boxscore.  Usually that really is just a matter of one team attacking the basket harder than the other, which it sounds like Oshkosh did tonight.

It's understandable that it's the first thing that losing team's fans look at.  But I really thought the game was played very well and the reffs did a good job.  But who am I to say?! lol...

I saw that UW-Osh/Elmhurst box score: Ruch was 14-17 from the field, the team shot 62% from the field and 100% (12-12) from the line - and lost!

That FT disparity for the home team looks mighty suspicious.  Anyone see the game?  Legit or 'home-cooking'?

Rough night for the CCIW vs. WIAC, with the above, plus Augie 'making' the game-winning 3 but having it waved off for a charging call.  I'm always leery of 'ref-baiting' (and only rarely indulge in it myself), but I'm having trouble shaking the feeling that rather than WIAC 2 - CCIW 0, it may be Zebras 2, CCIW 0.

Ypsi,

I find your comments very interesting.  First, you say that it might be "home cooking" because Oshkosh gets to the line 36 times and Elmhurst only 12 and call that suspicious, and then you say the charging call against Augustana AT HOME could've been a case of "ref-baiting".  I cannot give an opinion of the Augie outcome and the last foul, but sometimes, in desparation, the player shooting to tie or win a game "leans into" the defender, hoping to get a call.

[AndOne]

Lousy call against Augie.  A charging call as you hit the winning 3 point shot?!?

Hiker----

In a game at Carver PE Center on 1/21/06 with only a few seconds left, Ray Vicario of North Central hit what would likely have been a winning 3 pointer against Augie only to be whistled for a charging call.
It works both ways.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

OS, you nailed me.   (My feeble memory was convinced that Augie was at LaX.)  I have no reason to think the call was inaccurate (and the first game report was that their was no protest at all from Augie, so it was probably legit); I just hate when the 'winning shot' goes in but doesn't count (unless it's the other guys, of course)!

As for Elmhurst/Osh, your eyewitness testimony (and Q's comments about different style of play) are probably the case; my 'uh-oh' sensors tend to go into overdrive when the home team gets that big a differential.

So I yield - WIAC 2, CCIW 0 - but we're not done with you guys just yet!

[AndOne]

Money and kids being in class have to take priority.

Make that should take priority---at least the part about the kids being in class. However, as recently as 06, that certainly wasn't the case. Maybe the NCAA will get it right from now on.

[Gregory Sager]

Lousy call against Augie.  A charging call as you hit the winning 3 point shot?!?

Hiker----

In a game at Carver PE Center on 1/21/06 with only a few seconds left, Ray Vicario of North Central hit what would likely have been a winning 3 pointer against Augie only to be whistled for a charging call.
It works both ways.   

I agree. Nobody who wasn't at the game should cast any judgments as to whether or not the charge call against Wessels was "lousy". The fact that none of the Augie people are complaining about the call is telling. I would imagine that Dan was on the UWL @ Augie broadcast team, so I'm interested in reading what he has to say about the call.

I like it when a ref shows the fortitude to make a call at the end of the game rather than swallow his whistle, especially when it's a call against the home team. You don't ref the final seconds as though it was a completely different sport. If you see a foul, you should call a foul. Otherwise, you could be looking at a situation in which you're collecting a paycheck for reffing 39:45 of basketball and :15 of rugby.

Tom, I should clarify that I didn't mean to imply that somehow Elmhurst got jobbed...just that the FT disparity really jumps out from the boxscore.  Usually that really is just a matter of one team attacking the basket harder than the other, which it sounds like Oshkosh did tonight.

It's understandable that it's the first thing that losing team's fans look at.  But I really thought the game was played very well and the reffs did a good job.  But who am I to say?! lol...

I saw that UW-Osh/Elmhurst box score: Ruch was 14-17 from the field, the team shot 62% from the field and 100% (12-12) from the line - and lost!

That FT disparity for the home team looks mighty suspicious.  Anyone see the game?  Legit or 'home-cooking'?

Rough night for the CCIW vs. WIAC, with the above, plus Augie 'making' the game-winning 3 but having it waved off for a charging call.  I'm always leery of 'ref-baiting' (and only rarely indulge in it myself), but I'm having trouble shaking the feeling that rather than WIAC 2 - CCIW 0, it may be Zebras 2, CCIW 0.

Ypsi,

I find your comments very interesting.  First, you say that it might be "home cooking" because Oshkosh gets to the line 36 times and Elmhurst only 12 and call that suspicious, and then you say the charging call against Augustana AT HOME could've been a case of "ref-baiting".  I cannot give an opinion of the Augie outcome and the last foul, but sometimes, in desparation, the player shooting to tie or win a game "leans into" the defender, hoping to get a call.

Elmhurst's offense comes in two flavors: Jumpshots and low-post baskets. The 'jays don't penetrate and attack the basket much. In four games -- three of them against subpar competition -- the Bluejays' guards have shot only 19 free throws between them (Acosta's shot six, Bainter's shot five, Ryder's shot four, Lacy's shot two, and Macias and Saris have shot one apiece). Chris Childs, who has started at point guard in all four Bluejays games, hasn't even attempted a single FT all season.

In other words, there's no conspiracy here, Chuck. I didn't see the game up in Oshkosh this evening, but I'll put money down that Elmhurst did very little penetrating from the perimeter and that all, or nearly all, of the 22 shots attempted tonight by the Elmhurst guards (and probably all, or nearly all, of swingman Ryan Burks's 8 shots as well) were jumpshots set up by passes and/or lateral dribbling rather than layups or pullups.

This is an Elmhurst team that could use a player like Steven Holder, if not Brian Lee. The player whom I think might fit that bill a little is sophomore Hank Lacy, and I wonder if he might start to see more time so that Mark Scherer can have a guard in the game who will keep the opposing backcourt honest.

(Lest I sound harsh in my assessment of the Bluejays' backcourt, it should be noted that Elmhurst only turned the ball over nine times and had a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio against the Titans this evening. I don't know if UWO pressed the 'jays or not, but even if they didn't that's still a very good display of ball control by Childs & Co.)

[Gregory Sager]

Aurora and Millikin look just about dead-even to me, and I think the OT result confirms that.  Aurora looks a lot like IWU's 2006-07 squad -- a superstar, 1st Team All-American candidate (Larry Welton) that kind of sticks out like a sore thumb because there is just not enough surrounding him (I understand their PG is hurt?).  I didn't see anything that remotely resembles a Top 25 team in the Spartans.  The Albion team that I saw on opening weekend looked like a lot better squad than AU.  Maybe I caught Aurora on a bad night, but I drove north feeling kind of bad for giving them votes in the D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll the first couple of weeks.

I haven't seen the Spartans yet, Bob, but I strongly doubt that they're a Top 25 team as well. Not only is PG Dusty Magee out for the year with an ACL tear, but Larry Welton's "wingman", C Mike Leonard, is ineligible until spring semester. With Leonard out of the lineup, Welton lacks a big man next to him who frees him up to roam the perimeter more on offense and work in tandem with him in the paint on defense. I think that the Spartans miss him almost as much as they miss Magee.