WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[TitanPride]

And the Titans are playing King's College @ Whittier, no?  Lots of confusion!

[Mr. Ypsi]

Yeah, IWU plays at Whittier tomorrow night.  Tonight's score was Regis at Whittier (they got the logos mixed up, apparently!)  IWU does play King's starting about 7.  (In case anyone cares, Regis is up on Whittier by 7 with 2 minutes to go.)

[Mr. Ypsi]

Regis beat Whittier by 5.

In news more relevant to this board, IWU beat King's by 22!

Considering the quality of the Titan's losses, I'd expect that they will start sneaking back into ORV very soon (though with FOUR losses, however good the opponents, it may take a while to actually re-enter the Top 25).  I think this IS (yet again) a tournament team, though I'll reserve judgment on how far they can get.

[Mr. Ypsi]

An amusing tidbit from the box score: attendance was listed as ZERO!

O c'mon - it can't have been THAT bad!

[Hoosier Titan]

Attendance was pretty bad, Ypsi.  Probably primarily parents (they couldn't be seen as the camera was practically looking down on the court, but they could be heard).  My husband and I have a certificate for a free companion flight on Delta, but they didn't open up any eligible flights until a week or so ago, at which point we'd already made plans for this week.

I missed the first few minutes of the game, and it sounds like that was a good part to miss.  It was the Olivia Lett-Shelby Jackson-Melissa Gardner show for the comeback.  Everyone played her part, though.  The trapping defense frustrated the Monarchs like crazy.  Good show by the underclass players, especially Taylor Reber.

I don't like to be harsh on student announcers--I'm grateful to have the video--but the Whittier broadcast was pretty amateurish.  The score banner was labeled "IWC" and the student announcers at first were pronouncing the name of the state as IlliNOISE.  Seriously!  Finally, the play-by-play guy took until the second half to even begin to try to put names on the players.  "Another three for number 10!"  "Number 23 is all over the court!"  They were obviously Whittier students, and equally uninformed about the Monarchs, but a few minutes of scanning the program during warmups would have done wonders.  The color guy did better with names, and by the time the starters checked out they knew them.  Hopefully they'll do better tonight--again, it's good to see the games and having a broadcast is better than IWU is doing at the moment!

Rant over.  Happy New Year, all.

[gordonmann]

A little farther east, I had a chance to watch Carthage play UW-River Falls yesterday. I was very impressed by Jacklin's shot blocking ability. We talked with Coach Bernero and her after the game.  You can see the post-game interview here.

http://www.d3hoops.com/classic/2011-12/interviews

PS - I'm familiar with the teams in King's conference (MAC Freedom). I think King's will finish somewhere between second and fifth, but the top five are pretty tightly packed together. None are Top 25 worthy but they aren't terrible either.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Livestats has not updated in 5 minutes, with IWU up 86-56 over Whittier with 19 seconds remaining.  I'm gonna take a wild guess and say the game is over and the Titans won!

All 15 players not only saw action, but got on the score score - the only two without points each had a rebound.  IWU finishes the non-con portion of the schedule at 7-4.  Not great, but considering the opponents, not too shabby.

[Gregory Sager]

Chicago 65
North Park 49

The Vikings gave a game effort, but shot too woefully to compete tonight. Up by five at the half, 29-24, Chicago went on a 7-0 run to start the second stanza and never looked back. NPU was unable to get any closer than nine from that point onward.

The Vikings did hold the Maroons below their season averages in points, FG percentage, and trey percentage ... but their own shooting, except for the sparkling 20-21 performance at the charity stripe, was awful. NPU shot 26% (13-50) from the field, and 20% (3-15) from downtown. That's just not going to get it done against the #2 team in the nation. I suspect that Chicago's defense had a lot to do with it, but the execution simply has to be better from North Park's end against an opponent of that caliber. Chalk it up to a growth experience, and hope that it pays off down the line against other CCIW teams. This Vikings team certainly has the capability to take a big leap forward from the past few seasons.

Roxie Jones was the only Viking to reach double figures, as she scored 10 and pulled down seven boards. Deima Thompson also collected seven caroms.

Wish I could've been there in the best seat in the house, but I gave up my scorekeeper's duties for the night and followed the game via live stats here at my sister's house in Indiana. I suspect that Rog was there at the crackerbox tonight and can give us an eyewitness perspective.

NPU closes out its non-con slate at 6-5. Now it's on to the CCIW, as the Vikes tip off their league schedule next Wednesday afternoon at Faganel Hall against Elmhurst.

[iwu70]

Congrats to Coach Smith and all the Titans, on two big wins in California.  The team is playing well, pressing and pushing the ball, shooting it well, defending toughly.  I think this team has every prospect of winning the CCIW and the conference tournament and going deeply into the DIII dance should they get in.  All the players are back now and getting more and more used to the pace and system, getting healthy and more confident.  Looking forward to the  conference season . . . and a very tough initial test vs. Wheaton next week to open CCIW play.

7-4 is a major achievement, given the schedule they played and the injuries and illnesses the Titans had.

Notable developments in California were the consistency of the top three (Lett, Gardner and Hasselbring), the continued return/strength of Karen Solari, and the fine play in CA. of Shelby Jackson.  The bench/role players have all been improving, making contributions in each and every game.  Nice to see so much playing time for the pine-riders.  And, a little Southern California warmth and sunshine surely can't hurt anyone at this time of year.  Stepping back out into the Midwestern air exiting O'Hare must have been a bit of a slap in the face. 

Go TITANS!  Time for the tests of the conference season.

IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

We're just about through the non-conference season, folks - Wheaton hosts Rockford (3-8) on Monday night. Assuming that the Thunder wins that game, the standings look pretty muddled heading into conference play:

Carthage 9-2
Elmhurst 9-2
Augustana 8-3
Millikin 8-3
Illinois Wesleyan 7-4
Wheaton 7-4
North Central 6-5
North Park 6-5

That comes out to a composite record of  60-28 (.681). That's pretty good. I think the league is pretty strong this year top to bottom, not as top-heavy as the last few seasons.

The balance makes it tough to prognosticate how the conference season might play out, but for the sake of discussion I'll throw out some ideas.

I think Carthage, with its win over UW-River Falls, has legitimized its status as the preseason favorite. The loss to Chicago wasn't pretty, but it was on the road and Chicago might not lose all season. I think Illinois Wesleyan is right there with Carthage. They've lost four games to ranked teams, but it seems like they've gotten their legs under them a bit now.

Then there's Wheaton, Elmhurst, and Millikin. I think any of these teams could win the league, but it's also the case that at least one of them wont even make the conference tournament. I was surprised that Elmhurst lost to Loras at home yesterday, perhaps just a hiccup after a long layoff. Wheaton really only has one "bad loss" (@ St. Mary's), and Laura Karsten has a few games under her belt now (11.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.7 apg). Millikin's record is pretty appropriate for the schedule they've played.

I think Augustana and North Park are much improved over the last few seasons, but I'm not convinced that either or both can sneak into the conference tourney. There's been sort of a rotating top-5 over the last several seasons (IWU, Carthage, Wheaton, Elmhurst, Millikin), and none of those five have provided sufficient reason for me to think that will change. But if it does change, it will be because Augie or NPU strings together some upsets. North Central is better than I thought they would be, but I think their youth will hurt them in league play.

Nobody predicted Wheaton in second or Carthage in 4th last year, which just goes to show that "anything can happen."

Big game on Wednesday in Bloomington between Wheaton and IWU. A great test for both teams right out of the gate. These teams match up really well with each other. Looking forward to seeing that one.

[bblover]

I caught most of the Loras - Elmhurst game; it was a competitive, enjoyable game that showed both the strengths and weaknesses of Elmhurst. While EC did manage a 9 - 2 record before conference begins next week, they were helped by having 8 home games and one game at a neutral site. Moreover, they played a number of games against very, very weak opponents. Friday's contest was a good test for EC.

By the way, after the Friday victory, Loras is 6-5. Both teams have played Coe; Elmhurst beat team; Loras lost. Both beat Edgewood, but Elmhurst thrashed them; Loras won by a small margin. Loras also lost to Dominican narrowly and Carthage by a wider margin. Loras played other quality opponents, including Washington University, losing by only 5. Overall, Loras appears to be getting better as January nears. With so much weak opponents, it is hard to tell with EC. They could have used some more quality opponents.

Elmhurst has a host of offensive weapons; it is much more than just Merklein scoring 19 per game; she had 21 vs. Loras; she needs a small crack to get up a very good shot. Overall, the team is shooting a very respectable 36% from 3-land and 44% overall. Megan Ney, the other senior, is steady and averaging 8 per game. Tess Godhardt is averaging 11 (she had 14 vs. Loras). Devin Vaughn is averaging 8.5 (she had a career-high 22 vs. Loras).  Jordan Maisto is the other starter, averaging about 4. Fiona McMahon comes off the bench, averaging 7.5. These 6 get most of the playing time, and that lack of depth could be an issue in some conference games, but does not have to be.

While EC is a coordinated offensive unit, a very good one, they remain spotty on defense, often giving up many easy baskets. Mobile post players often give the 3s, 4s, and 5s on EC fits. Help often arrives too late. Moreover, EC gave up 15 offensive rebounds on Friday. This is pretty typical; opponents average 14 offensive rebounds vs. EC. Loras also won the battle of loose balls on Friday.

Could EC make the CCIW playoffs. If they can raise their defensive intensity. Absolutely. However, that is a big if. Best of luck to EC. Happy New Year to all.

[Backseat Driver]

Thanks for the input on Elmhurst. I have not seen this edition of the Bluejays yet.

While EC is a coordinated offensive unit, a very good one, they remain spotty on defense, often giving up many easy baskets. Mobile post players often give the 3s, 4s, and 5s on EC fits. Help often arrives too late.

This could be a problem against the likes of Carthage, IWU, and Wheaton in particular. I'm thinking of Diana Jacklin, Olivia Lett, and Elisabeth Potts/Maris Hovee in particular as players with the quickness to exploit this.

With that said, it's not as though Elmhurst was poor defensively in non-conference. They rank 3rd in ppg, 1st in defensive field goal %, 2nd in blocked shots, and 1st in defensive rebounding. Stats don't tell the whole story though, and your comments about Elmhurst's opponents could play a big role. Non-conference results and stats don't necessarily translate into conference play.

[iwu70]

Good luck to the Titans as they face Wheaton tomorrow, begin the CCIW race grind!  Let's go for five championships in a row!!!  Should be a very challenging game.

Men's game to follow should also be a great game, an early CCIW test for the Titans, following two good wins out east.  Important to hold home court vs. these top tier teams.

Students back, so hopefully a better crowd that in mid-December during exam week.

IWU70

[RogK]

Congratulations to Diana Jacklin (Carthage), new CCIW Player of the Week.

[RogK]

Wheaton last night used a 31-0 run to establish a 46-6 lead over Rockford; a last second three made the halftime score 46-9. The final was 83-39.
As Backseat Driver noted recently, it's not very clear how things will go in conference play, but I will predict Wednesday's scores : 64-52, 75-44, 63-62 in 2 OT, 76-72.