WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[GoPerry]

As we await the All-CCIW selections, the one thing I'm sure of and that has hit me even more in watching games this past week is that the league is stocked with underclassmen.  Probably 2/3 of the  All Conf team will be juniors or younger.  The loss of some players ( Kyler for Wheaton, Merritt for IWU, Sadler – Millikin, Gilbert – Carthage) will be hard to replace.  But in all those cases, a solid corpus of the team is still relatively intact.  Augie loses the most in graduation.  NCC, NPU, and Carroll are bringing back everybody.

We're still talking about this season, but next season is already shaping up to be pretty interesting and perhaps a deeper level of competitiveness that we've all been hoping for.

[GoPerry]

Just to remind us that the coaches still know more than the average poster:

2018 CCIW Preseason Women's Basketball Poll

Rank Institution   Points (1st Pl. Votes)

1    Wheaton    64 (8)
2    Illinois Wesleyan 54 (1)
3    Carthage    53
4    Augustana 42
5    Elmhurst    37
6    Carroll    22
7    NCC      21
8    Millikin    17
9    North Park  14

Mostly got it right.

[RogK]

most of us would not go so far as to call them all "rank institutions," but you're entitled to feel that way.
(heh!)

[RogK]

GoPerry, I like what you said about the younger portion of the league. Lots of impressive freshmen for sure. Hopefully they all stick around for a full four years, improving along the way.
In other ways, this has not been a good season for the league. I offer the 44-37 nonconference record as evidence. Lots of ugly struggle-in-the-mud in-conference games.

[iwu70]

Share the view about a lot of good underclassmen, hoping they stick around and improve.

IWU has only one rising senior (Shanks) and that very strong cohort of current sophomores -- Brovelli, Sosa, Hughes, and Munroe.  Eck and Lansford will be very good, in time, as current freshmen.  A strong core coming back, even with the three starting seniors -- Anderson, Schneider and Merritt -- departing by way of graduation.

IWU'70

[Gregory Sager]

Just to remind us that the coaches still know more than the average poster:

2018 CCIW Preseason Women's Basketball Poll

Rank Institution   Points (1st Pl. Votes)

1    Wheaton    64 (8)
2    Illinois Wesleyan 54 (1)
3    Carthage    53
4    Augustana 42
5    Elmhurst    37
6    Carroll    22
7    NCC      21
8    Millikin    17
9    North Park  14

Mostly got it right.

Picking NPU four spots too low sticks out like a sore thumb, though.

GoPerry, I like what you said about the younger portion of the league. Lots of impressive freshmen for sure. Hopefully they all stick around for a full four years, improving along the way.
In other ways, this has not been a good season for the league. I offer the 44-37 nonconference record as evidence. Lots of ugly struggle-in-the-mud in-conference games.

Those two observations are directly linked to each other.

This is how the league has done thus far in non-con play, as compared to the previous ten seasons:

2018-19	44-37 (.543)
2017-18	48-36 (.571)
2016-17	53-30 (.639)
2015-16	51-38 (.573)
2014-15	64-26 (.711)
2013-14	54-32 (.628)
2012-13	58-32 (.644)
2011-12	69-29 (.704)
2010-11	55-38 (.591)
2009-10	56-38 (.596)
2008-09	50-40 (.556)

The CCIW is down, as even an extended postseason run by Wheaton and/or Illinois Wesleyan won't make a huge dent in the final non-con record. And you can't blame the addition of Carroll for the league's woes this time; the Pioneers went 5-4 in non-con play this season (i.e., slightly above league average) after posting 0-8 and 3-6 non-con records in their first two seasons back in the CCIW.

The fact that this season there's such a comparatively thin senior class in the CCIW undoubtedly has a lot to do with the league's poor record outside of the circuit. But the general four-year trend is troubling.

[GoPerry]

Just to remind us that the coaches still know more than the average poster:

2018 CCIW Preseason Women's Basketball Poll

Rank Institution   Points (1st Pl. Votes)

1    Wheaton    64 (8)
2    Illinois Wesleyan 54 (1)
3    Carthage    53
4    Augustana 42
5    Elmhurst    37
6    Carroll    22
7    NCC      21
8    Millikin    17
9    North Park  14

Mostly got it right.

Picking NPU four spots too low sticks out like a sore thumb, though.

GoPerry, I like what you said about the younger portion of the league. Lots of impressive freshmen for sure. Hopefully they all stick around for a full four years, improving along the way.
In other ways, this has not been a good season for the league. I offer the 44-37 nonconference record as evidence. Lots of ugly struggle-in-the-mud in-conference games.

Those two observations are distinctly linked to each other.

This is how the league has done thus far in non-con play, as compared to the previous ten seasons:

2018-19	44-37 (.543)
2017-18	48-36 (.571)
2016-17	53-30 (.639)
2015-16	51-38 (.573)
2014-15	64-26 (.711)
2013-14	54-32 (.628)
2012-13	58-32 (.644)
2011-12	69-29 (.704)
2010-11	55-38 (.591)
2009-10	56-38 (.596)
2008-09	50-40 (.556)

The CCIW is down, as even an extended postseason run by Wheaton and/or Illinois Wesleyan won't make a huge dent in the final non-con record. And you can't blame the addition of Carroll for the league's woes this time; the Pioneers went 5-4 in non-con play this season (i.e., slightly above league average) after posting 0-8 and 3-6 non-con records in their first two seasons back in the CCIW.

The fact that this season there's such a comparatively thin senior class in the CCIW undoubtedly has a lot to do with the league's poor record outside of the circuit. But the general four-year trend is troubling.

Interesting - thanks GS.  It would be nice to understand why that stark dropoff.

I've mentioned before how the current strength, or lack thereof, of the league has not been good preparation for Wheaton as they enter the NCAA tourney.  Mostly first round exits except for 2 years ago when they did win one game.  I believe the team's performance has been pretty disappointing in that regard given the level of talent the Thunder have had.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Settle down, everyone.  After IWU beats Wheaton in the national title game, the CCIW will be .593 - about average (but with a title and second place finish)!

(My imagination is such a nicer place than reality! )

[iwu70]

Fantasy, Ypsi, fantasy.  I'll be happy if IWU and/or WC win two games each in the national tournament this year.  Not a very good record by either in the recent seasons -- esp. when IWU runs into Trine.  Two good regular season teams.  Let's hope they can go further, be more this year  . . .

'70

[Gregory Sager]

Settle down, everyone.  After IWU beats Wheaton in the national title game, the CCIW will be .593 - about average (but with a title and second place finish)!

(My imagination is such a nicer place than reality! )

Sometimes, Chuck, I think that your imagination involves a guy with a pith helmet, a machete, and a team of native porters hacking his way through jungle to a place that no man has ever seen before.

[RogK]

OK Greg, who is conf player of the week, Josie Summerville and her 30 rebounds, or Jayla Johnson?

[npbaseball40]

Congrats to North Park freshman forward Jayla Johnson on her selection as the CCIW Player of the Week.

https://athletics.northpark.edu/news/2019/2/18/womens-basketball-johnson-earns-final-2018-19-cciw-player-of-the-week-honors.aspx

Johnson posted 35 points, 18 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists in two games against Millikin and Elmhurst to lead the Vikings to their first appearance in the CCIW Tourney since '06.

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats, Jayla!

[GoPerry]

Congrats to North Park freshman forward Jayla Johnson on her selection as the CCIW Player of the Week.

https://athletics.northpark.edu/news/2019/2/18/womens-basketball-johnson-earns-final-2018-19-cciw-player-of-the-week-honors.aspx

Johnson posted 35 points, 18 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists in two games against Millikin and Elmhurst to lead the Vikings to their first appearance in the CCIW Tourney since '06.

Well deserved recognition for a fine player!

[gordonmann]

Very limited movement this week (again), but here's the latest Top 25.

https://www.d3hoops.com/top25/women/2018-19/week11

IWU and Wheaton remain in the same spots.