WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Greg, I'm not surprised about Lett's vote.  I would have done the same.  I thought IWU would be ranked 3rd, behind MU and Carroll, given last year's results and who is coming back.   Of course, I hope IWU's experienced squad proves these pre-season, rather meaningless, predictions wrong.   

This Sunday we'll see IWU vs. ISU in the charity exhibition game at ISU.   I'm sure Mia has the preparation moving ahead rapidly and apace.  IWU looks good, with seemingly no injury issues as yet.  Sawyer White returning now to the squad after the soccer season. 

IWU'70

[GoPerry]

Wheaton's new roster :
https://athletics.wheaton.edu/sports/womens-basketball/roster/2023-24
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Looks like 22-23 FR Anna Fernandez is not on the roster?

Yes, a notable absence for sure.  On the other hand, a full season with a healthy Annie Tate would be most welcome.  The Thunder ladies could really use more scoring this season.

[iwu70]

RogK, what happened to Fernandez??  She was terrific last season. 

IWU plays at ISU tomorrow -- an exhibition.  Sawyer White, presumably the Titans' PG this year, will not play as she has just wrapped up an All-Conference team making season in soccer, losing today to Carroll in the quarterfinals.  She'll be back on deck in a week or so, in time for regular season games.  Not sure who fills in at PG for this exhibition game.

If both Titan teams stay within 10-15 points of the DI Redbirds, I will consider it a moral victory.  I hear they've sold over 8,000 tickets for this charity exhibition and BloNo basketball treat.  And, for a good cause.

IWU'70

[RogK]

She is now a Calvin Knight :
https://calvinknights.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/anna-fernandez/5654
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[Gregory Sager]

She is now a Calvin Knight :
https://calvinknights.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/anna-fernandez/5654
= =

The rich get richer. Sigh.

[iwu70]

Before a crowd of perhaps 6,000, ISU easily handled IWU today in the exhibition game -- winning by 38.   It wasn't much of a game.  ISU both with great size in the paint and excellent three point shooting.  IWU didn't really get much going and could not use "run and jump" to any effect given ISU's excellent PGs and ball handling.   They are really good and could win the MVC. 

But, some bright spots -- Huber and Powers playing decently.  The clearest bright spot was sophomore PG and first-time starter Ava Bardic.  She's the real deal, a good ball-handler, three point threat and quickness of feet, keeping up just fine with ISU's players.   She's an excellent find for Mia Smith and the Titans and will likely play substantial time this year.   In a year or two, she could be an all-CCIW player.   It may allow Mia to shift Sawyer White to the 2. 

Anyway, a fun event, but not competitive basketball.

IWU'70

[Flying Dutch Fan]

She is now a Calvin Knight :
https://calvinknights.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/anna-fernandez/5654
= =

The rich get richer. Sigh.

If you mean the MIAA, then I can agree.  If you mean the knights, then nah - they might be "rich" in men's hoops, but not so much in women's.  They've been stuck in 3rd-5th in the league since the 15-16 season.

[Gregory Sager]

Yes, I should've been more specific. I meant the MIAA, which has been playing a better brand of women's hoops than the CCIW for several years now -- something that should be raising more of a hue and cry around CCIW circles than it actually is. We're simply lagging in women's basketball as compared to other sports. It's not a women's athletics issue per se, as CCIW women's volleyball and softball, while not at a power-conference level, still do well outside the circuit. (Women's soccer has really fallen off, apart from North Central, however.) There's just a very real sense that a bunch of CCIW women's basketball programs are spinning their wheels and have been doing so for several years now. And while I don't think it's fair to compare them to the men's side, as men's basketball is the meat and potatoes of this league as a whole and has been so for many decades, it's noticeable how dismal we're doing in this sport as compared to other women's sports.

Last season only four of the nine CCIW teams finished the season with a winning non-conference record -- and it's not as though CCIW women's basketball teams have a tradition of seeking out as many ranked opponents as possible outside the circuit (or, looked at another way, have difficulty getting local teams to agree to play them), which makes that even worse. National rankings are beginning to feel like novelties. And only twice in the past ten tournaments has a CCIW team reached the second weekend (two Sweet Sixteen losses, one by Carthage in 2014 and one by Millikin two seasons ago).

We can do better. Perhaps the new blood -- one-third of the league's head coaching jobs have changed hands over the past year and a half -- will do the trick.

[iwu70]

Millikin comes in at #24 in the pre-season poll.   No other CCIW program getting votes.

'70

[RogK]

Merely predictions.
Every team in D3 is tied, having won 0 games and lost 0 games.

[iwu70]

Agreed, RogK.  Let's hope more CCIW teams this year can show some real improvement and strength . . . and get back into the national picture. 

Millikin, with Knudsen, is surely the favorite in the league.  I don't think IWU and Carroll are too far behind them. 

Ava Bardic is going to be a great addition to the Titan rotation right out of the gate, perhaps even starting.

IWU'70

[lmitzel]

NCC scrimmaged against IIT yesterday. Only result from that I'm aware of is that the Cardinals won both halves of the scrimmage.

[Gregory Sager]

NCC scrimmaged against IIT yesterday. Only result from that I'm aware of is that the Cardinals won both halves of the scrimmage.

That's a nice outcome, considering that Elle Sutter is still wearing her soccer kit and won't be available for basketball purposes for awhile yet.

[Gregory Sager]

Opening day, folks!

Beloit (8-17) @ Millikin (24-5)
North Park (9-16) @ Lawrence (8-17)
Carthage (9-17) @ Lakeland (14-12)

The Megan Jones era starts today on the road in Sheboygan with what should be a decent challenge for the Firebirds. And North Park is debuting a freshmen-heavy squad this evening up even further north in America's Dairyland.

The other game, I suspect, will be a fertile opportunity for Elyce Knudsen to start building her 2024 D3hoops.com Player of the Year résumé.

[RogK]

You're stubborn, Greg.
If North Park wins, will they be 10-16?