WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Pantagraph article on the IWU win over Wartburg today reports that Shelby Jackson is out "indefinitely" due to an infected wisdom tooth.  That can't be good . . . sure do wish Shelby a quick and full recovery.  The Titans need her for sure.

On the men's side, I ran into Victor Davis and Pat Sodemann watching games at the State Farm Holiday Classic (high school games) at The Shirk yesterday, and they mentioned that both Zimmer and Mayberger are back at full practice . . . so some good news on the injury front for the Titans men's squad.  Sure would be nice to have a full, healthy squad by CCIW opener. 

IWU70

[RogK]

I also saw the North Park game, but don't have anything to add to what Greg wrote.
Millikin got to play in the New Orleans Hornets' practice facility, the Alario Center in Westwego LA.
UW Whitewater won 58-49.
Carthage picked up a 64-52 win over host Trinity in San Antonio. Michelle Wenzel had 14 rebs in 22:00 and Stephanie Kuzmanic had 19 pts, 6 assists and 8 rebs.
Elmhurst rolled past Beloit, 85-55, thanks in part to Tess Godhardt (8/14, 6/6 FT) who scored 22 in 21:00.

[Backseat Driver]

Non-conference play is now over, with the exception of Wheaton's game against Robert Morris in February. Here is where the records stand:

Wheaton 9-1
North Park 9-2
Carthage 8-3
IWU 7-4
NCC 7-4
Elmhurst 6-5
Millikin 5-5
Augie 4-6

I still don't see a clear-cut favorite heading into CCIW play. The conference openers on Wednesday:

North Park @ Augustana
Illinois Wesleyan @ Wheaton
Carthage @ Millikin
North Central @ Elmhurst

[iwu70]

I think IWU is well-tested, well-prepared for the conference race.  Depth, injuries and rebounding still issues.  Consistency and intensity will be key in big conference games, as always.  If the Titans can play their game, be effective with the defensive pressure, and stay healthy, get Shelby Jackson back relatively soon, I have no doubt they will be in the mix for the conference title and tourney berth.   Seems to me the picks of the lot remain IWU, WC and Carthage.  We'll see if NP's record is meaningful or not . . .and we'll see if NCC can make "the system" work for them in tougher conference play.  I have my doubts on both accounts, but just call me silly.  EC and MU have some good players and could surprise.  I don't expect Augie to be in the top four mix.  Just my humble opinion from games, performances to date. 

IWU had an excellent two days in Iowa, playing very well even without Shelby Jackson.  Some rest now before opening @ WC, a great early test for both teams.

(Time for Q to trot out his formula for home/away wins, the formula to win the conference title at 11-3 or 10-4).  Time will tell.  I doubt any team gets to 12-2 or 13-1 this year. 

IWU70

[RogK]

The opening conference games should all be competitive. Even if there are some wipe-outs, we still may not be wise to make conclusions based solely on them, as some (or all) teams could make improvements during the season.
How's that for platitudinous caution?

[RogK]

Congratulations to Stephanie Kuzmanic, the new CCIW Player of the Week.

[Backseat Driver]

You might be right iwu70, but the CCIW champion has had an 11-3 record just five times in 26 years. And never has a 10-4 team won the league. This could very well could be one of those years, since the teams look pretty even right now, but  the top team usually distinguishes itself and wins at least 12 games. We'll see, it should be a entertaining season.

[RogK]

iwu70, who do you see beating IWU once or twice?
In regard to whether NC can make the "system" work in CCIW play, my initial guess is that only IWU will be happy to play a fast game with them. I'm thinking that since the Titans have faced Olivet Naz, they are confident that they can handle a less-established version of Olivet in NC.
The other six teams will probably wish to keep a lid on scoring. Carthage may be the most able to do so, although I think it unlikely that anyone is going to have a 70-50 game vs NC.
A couple other thoughts regarding "system" ball : it borrows from other sports in these ways -- the short-duration high-energy shifts are similar to hockey, the constant fullcourt defense relates to what is done via forechecking in hockey and soccer.
We'll see how the style works for NC this season. Some will doubt its usefulness. But, conventional ball annually proves to be a flop for lots of teams.

[RogK]

A (last?) look at the nonconf stat leaders :
Scoring and Steals : Brooke Olson;
Rebounds and Blocks : Maris Hovee;
Assists : Stephanie Kuzmanic;
FG pct : Emily Murphy;
3FG pct : Kasey Kleiner;
FT pct : Lexi Baltes.

[Backseat Driver]

Big game right out of the gate tomorrow night with IWU @ Wheaton. Anytime you have the 5-time defending conference champion and the defending national champion in your gym, it's a big game. The last two IWU/Wheaton games at King Arena have gone down to the wire, with IWU winning 65-63 in 2011 and Wheaton winning 76-74 in 2OT last season.

All signs point to another great game tomorrow night. I think these teams are pretty evenly matched. Some factors that I think will be key:

1. Wheaton hasn't played a game since Dec. 15. That's a long break from game action. Will rust come into play?
2. In Shelby Jackson's absence, IWU has started 5 guards. Wheaton has strong post players in Lauren Graham and Maris Hovee. Will IWU struggle in the post, or will Wheaton struggle to contain the perimeter?
3. The effectiveness of IWUs run-and-jump. Wheaton has players who have seen IWU's press, but there are also several freshmen in the rotation. According to the Pantagraph recap of IWU's game against Wartburg, the Titans had a lot of success with the run-and-jump. Wheaton needs to handle it well to be successful.

It sure seems like these are two of the top CCIW teams this year, if not the top 2. I think this game is more important for Wheaton since it's at home, but obviously it's a big game no matter how you slice it. I'll give Wheaton the edge based on how well they've played at home under Kent Madsen (24-5), as well as being a shameless homer  Should be a great game.

[iwu70]

If IWU wins the TO battle and stays close on the rebounding battle with Wheaton, I think they have a good chance of stealing one at WC tomorrow.  Katy Seibring playing strong will be key.  Yes, a very tough early test for both teams.  Titans also need to shoot a pretty good percentage, especially from treyland, to compete well with the bigger, at home Wheaton team.  WC has played very very well so far this season.  The Titans have had a very tough schedule, but have played less consistently than in the past. 

To the question earlier, I think Carthage and WC are surely capable of beating IWU this year.  Not sure about the others . . . the verdict on NP's quality and NCC using "the system" is still out, IMHO.

IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

If IWU wins the TO battle and stays close on the rebounding battle with Wheaton, I think they have a good chance of stealing one at WC tomorrow.  Katy Seibring playing strong will be key.  Yes, a very tough early test for both teams.  Titans also need to shoot a pretty good percentage, especially from treyland, to compete well with the bigger, at home Wheaton team.  WC has played very very well so far this season.  The Titans have had a very tough schedule, but have played less consistently than in the past. 

To the question earlier, I think Carthage and WC are surely capable of beating IWU this year.  Not sure about the others . . . the verdict on NP's quality and NCC using "the system" is still out, IMHO.

IWU70

I don't think any win for IWU is a "steal", considering the last 5 years 

[RogK]

I'll bravely predict tonight's final scores : in Wheaton 76-69, in Rock Island 62-54, in Decatur 58-50, in Elmhurst 88-84. Notice that I did not bravely predict any winners!

[iwu70]

Hey RogK, not very brave! 

I'll give a go . . . and in an unorthodox set of picks, I'll go with all the road teams to win their CCIW openers.

NPU over AC
IWU over WC, by one or two points
CC over MU
NCC over EC

Good luck to all teams and coaching staffs.  Hope everyone plays well and without injury!

Let the conference race begin.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

I honestly have no idea what to expect out of this afternoon's NPU @ Augie game, scheduled to tip off about 45 minutes from now. But I find it amusing that the Massey Ratings computer projection has NPU winning 61-55, while Rog's carefully neutral prediction is for a 62-54 game.

Either way, I'll take it ... as long as it results in an NPU win.