WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[RogK]

Greg, here is the final from tonight : NP 119, Pacific 112. My source says Shaina had 11 pts, 12 assists and 13 rebounds, Kamauria led with 32 pts and Dana hit 7 threes in the final 4:00. Now you can go have a mushroom pizza in Berwyn!

[Gregory Sager]

1. Since that would be an all-time single-game scoring record for NPU, I'm going to need more details than that, Rog.

2. Who's your "in" at UCSC?

3. Why mushroom? And why Berwyn, of all places? Is that a Svengoolie reference?

[RogK]

My "in" is an actual banana slug that resides in a nearby forest and has learned to operate a cellphone. Kamauria was 32 for 32 at the foul line.
Mushrooms have nutrients. No, not a Rich Koz reference. Just figured you might be within staggering distance of Berwyn!

[RogK]

Also found out that the Vikings rode a bus to California, sold the bus and will use the proceeds to buy first class airfare for the flight back. And then this : Coach Reese suspended Becca Heimsath for being too cheerful too often. Heimsath then suspended Sarah Peterson, who in turn suspended Coach Reese. It's a mess.

[Gregory Sager]

Well, NPU got a rude awakening this evening, as Pacific saddled the Vikings with their first loss of the season, 60-43. NPU was only down by five at the half, but the Boxers went on an 11-0 run to start the second half, and the Vikes were never in the game again from that point onward. The story of the game was NPU's absymal shooting; the Vikes were only 15-55 (.273) from the field, as compared to Pacific's 22-46 (.478). NPU wasn't as comparatively bad from long range (6-21, .286), but Pacific shot a blistering 6-12 (.500) from downtown, and the Boxers also held slight advantages in the rebounds and turnovers departments.

Dana Christensen was the only Viking in double figures, as she led the Park with 10 points. Nicole Kruckman pulled down 9 boards for NPU.

Since NPU plays host UC-Santa Cruz tomorrow afternoon and the Boxers lost to UCSC yesterday, I have to think that the Vikings will have their hands full on Thursday.

[Backseat Driver]

Benedictine over Elmhurst, 57-56.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Now a comment to you spoiled IWU fans : appreciate the efforts of your players, win or lose! You have some wonderful players on your team; they can't be perfect all the time. I have no doubt that they will do very well in the CCIW season.

Rog, I don't think questioning IWU's overall 2012-13 talent level (and projected competitiveness in the CCIW this year) makes me a "spoiled IWU fan", or means that I don't "appreciate the efforts" of the players. 

The Titans lost by 23 at home to DePauw and by 35 at UW-Stevens Point, as well as losing three other games so far in the non-conference.  I've watched three games online and just don't think they have enough talent to be a great team this year.  I'd like to think I can express my honest opinion while at the same time being a fan of the Titans and appreciating the efforts of the players.

Q IS feeling discouraged - he's even inventing Titan losses!   The other TWO losses were AT #2 Mt. Union in a close game, and against a very solid Olivet Nazarene (and they have a win against ranked UWW).

Without an Olivia Lett to pull their bacon out of the fire in some tight game (e.g., the national championship game ), I'm making no outlandish predictions for this team.  But they WILL be a factor in the CCIW race, and I think they will ultimately win it.  And as long as they get IN the tourney, who knows (see IWU baseball, 2010 )?

[Gregory Sager]

Without an Olivia Lett to pull their bacon out of the fire

Mmm ... bacon ...

I'm making no outlandish predictions for this team.

... much to everyone's dismay. Oh, how I yearn for the cabonney days when you could always be counted upon to hover an itchy trigger finger above the post button after typing in a prediction of an Illinois Wesleyan national championship, much to Bob's dismay.

But they WILL be a factor in the CCIW race, and I think they will ultimately win it.  And as long as they get IN the tourney, who knows (see IWU baseball, 2010 )?

C'mon, Chuck, give us a percentage. Just for old time's sake. C'mon, it's Christmas!

[Mr. Ypsi]

Greg, your wish is my command.

Chance of winning the walnut-and-bronze: 0+% (same as I gave to the 2010 baseball team that had a losing record two weeks before the end of the regular season! )

I was pessimistic when Mallory Heydorn graduated.  I was pessimistic when Christina Solari graduated.  I was pessimistic when Stacey Arliss graduated.  I can't help but be somewhat pessimistic when Olivia Lett graduated.  But I finally figured out that Mia Smith DIDN'T graduate, so I've gotten over being TOO pessimistic!

In the tourney at Waverly, I fully expect them to beat CURF (I refuse to accede to Concordia-Chicago ), then, presumably, Wartburg.  That would put them at 7-4, which is exactly how they finished the pre-conference season last year.

[Mr. Ypsi]

RogK almost nailed the NPU/Pacific score - only off by 76 on the Vikings!

(That's 277%, but who's counting! )

[RogK]

Mr Ypsi, I completely agree with you about the bogus re-naming of Concordia University River Forest to Concordia University Chicago. River Forest is a pleasant community, so why not be proud to be associated with it? Plus, the first thing high school students learn about the school is that is has a deceptive name.
My 119-112 NP score was more imagination than prediction. In fact, they had a feeble 29 through the first 33:00 of that game.
In the Elmhurst contest, Fiona McMahon tallied 15 and 13, while freshman Claire Monroe scored 16. I'm guessing that Tess Godhardt is not near full strength because she played only 18:00 and scored 0, both very unlike what she usually does.

[iwu70]

Ypsi's most astute post in years =  "Mia Smith didn't graduate." 

The issues of the Titan team this year are there, for all to see, but I'm with Ypsi and RogK on feeling that the Titans will be in the mix for the CCIW crown again this year.  I do have faith that the team will continue to improve, address the shortcomings to date, use the many talents they have, and find ways to win quite a few games in the CCIW race.  Enough for a title?  Not sure, but I'm pretty confident the Titans will be at or near the top of the league and make the Conference tournament again this year.

Happy Holidays all . . . stay well and safe as the big storm rushes by today and tomorrow.

IWU70 

[RogK]

North Central lost 95-75 to UW Oshkosh in a 10:00 a.m. local start in Las Vegas. It was 58-39 at the half, 81-63 after 30:00. So the final 10:00 was 14-12, not what NC had in mind. NC had a small advantage (24 vs 30) in the turnover category, but got clobbered rebound-wise 57-31. They can win while being outrebounded but need to dominate other facets of the game, which they didn't.

[Gregory Sager]

UC-Santa Cruz 53
North Park 42

Not a good afternoon for the Vikings, who had a double-digit lead in the first half and went into the locker room up by five, but, as was the case yesterday, endured an extended scoring drought to start the second half. During the opening five and a half minutes of the latter stanza, the Banana Slugs went on a 14-2 run, and never trailed again thereafter.

Another thing today's game had in common with yesterday's was terrible shooting by NPU. The Vikings were only 14-51 (.275) from the field and 3-12 (.250) from downtown, and were an uncharacteristic 11-19 (.579) from the FT line as well. UCSC didn't shoot great in response, but it certainly shot better than did NPU, comfortably enough to erase the Park's advantage in rebounding and turnovers.

Dana Christensen was really the only player for NPU to distinguish herself, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding with 10 and 8, although Shaina Yalda did pilfer five steals.

This was a tough road trip for NPU, but I think that the Vikings may look back upon it as a productive one. They had it way too easy back here in the midwest throughout November and the first half of December, playing teams that aren't nearly up to par with what they'll see in the CCIW. Pacific (7-1) and UCSC (8-3) provided a wakeup call as to what the Vikes can expect in January and February.

[RogK]

Greg, as I see it, North Park may need to work on a few things in advance of the CCIW schedule, but they are not alone in that status.
I still expect IWU, Carthage and Wheaton to be somewhere in the top half of the league, but probably none of them are fully content with where they're at. The other five presumably also see areas where improvement is needed. No team should be discouraged, though, as everyone still has a 0-0 conference record and January is full of opportunities for good starts (or restarts).