WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Jester1390]

I know how it happened they didnt move there feet  and just reached with their hands and carthage must have had the best hands and feet in the country well next to North park anyways lol

[iwu70]

Carthage over Wheaton is pretty shocking.  A big upset.

Jester, as to "pine-sitters," I'll stick with it.  But, with the huge 1st Q, the obvious blowout in the making, Coach Smith started circulating her non-rotation players in the latter part of the second Q.  Everyone got to play, many minutes.  Even starters played only 16-17 minutes. The pine sitters were rewarded and took full advantage of the minutes.  IWU has many good players way down the roster that will wait this year, but likely be in the mix next year when the 4-5 seniors graduate.  This year, too, IWU is relying heavily in the rotation on three outstanding freshmen . . . and Lauren Huber, a freshman, could be all-conference THIS year, surely in the future.  I love the fact that IWU had a game like this so that everyone could "come on down" and get those minutes, keeping their interest and dedication to the team and the program high.  And all the starters and rotational players were cheering them on as they scored, got rebounds, and made plays.  It was a very happy evening, some good cheer for the IWU squad that has struggled coming out of the gate this year. 

As for Sosa, yes, she would likely be a pine sitter at many D1 programs . . . but she had the smarts and dedication to become one of the best IWU players ever at the D3 level.  One of the reasons we all love D3. 

IWU starts conference play at home vs. Carroll on Saturday.  I'm feeling better about IWU's team after this game, this performance vs. Eureka, admittedly against very weak competition.  I still believe this team will struggle to finish the year above .500 and will likely finish somewhere in the middle of the CCIW this year.  Time will tell . . .

IWU'70

[GoPerry]

Carthage over Wheaton is pretty shocking.  A big upset.

Not really a big upset.  Only in the sense that poll voters, with limited data points to go on, thought a team was better than they actually are.

IWU starts conference play at home vs. Carroll on Saturday. 

IWU'70

Carroll is an interesting one.  They are 5-0 and are scoring a good amount of points, a respectable 73.5 ppg, shooting 45.3% from the field (16th best in the country) and very solid FT%, over 78%, good enough for 10th in the country.  Granted, I can't speak to the quality of their 5 opponents but it doesn't look like they're all cupcakes either.  At the very least they are not shaping up to be the easy out that they have been in some past seasons.

[iwu70]

GoPerry, I think still a pretty big upset, given where most thought WC and MU would be at the top of the CCIW hill.  Maybe Carthage better than many of us thought.

I agree with you on Carroll so far.  I think the game with IWU on Saturday will be very competitive.  At least the Titans are seeming to find a better way to play after their rough start, with defensive pressure and very upbeat pace.  The freshman three are really making their mark, pushing the upperclassmen to be/play better . . . Lansford, Eck and Carlson are settling in and playing better now too.  This team could really be pretty good, if they keep improving and find their best identity and style of play as a group.  I'm sure Coach Smith is working hard on it.

Lauren Huber is and is going to be special.

IWU'70

[Jester1390]

I totally respect Sosa that was not a slight at her I was just trying to make a point. There are plenty of pine sitters at D-1 who would play 30 minutes plus at lower levels. I actually believe Sosa could have played lower D-1 basketball   

[Gregory Sager]

Carthage over Wheaton is pretty shocking.  A big upset.

Not really a big upset.  Only in the sense that poll voters, with limited data points to go on, thought a team was better than they actually are.

I actually agree with Mark on this one:

GoPerry, I think still a pretty big upset, given where most thought WC and MU would be at the top of the CCIW hill.  Maybe Carthage better than many of us thought.

He's on point, inasmuch as in basketball it takes two to tango. Carthage was pretty undistinguished for a 3-2 team coming into last night's game. The three previous victories for the Firebirds came over teams that Massey ranks among the bottom half of D3 (Lawrence, St. Mary's (IN), and Lake Forest); the Firebirds were totally non-competitive in a 24-point loss at home against a good Chicago team; and they fell to a St. Norbert team that currently possesses a losing record. Plus, we're talking about a Carthage program in general that had slumped to 11-14, 6-10 last season. You're cautious about Wheaton, which is certainly a valid take, but Mark is correct that the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance are nevertheless projected to be in the top echelon of the league this season. Carthage wasn't; the Firebirds were picked for seventh. Ergo, a pretty substantial upset last night, especially since the Firebirds completely controlled the game; they were never headed, and they held a double-digit lead throughout almost the entire second half.

Carroll is an interesting one.  They are 5-0 and are scoring a good amount of points, a respectable 73.5 ppg, shooting 45.3% from the field (16th best in the country) and very solid FT%, over 78%, good enough for 10th in the country.  Granted, I can't speak to the quality of their 5 opponents but it doesn't look like they're all cupcakes either.  At the very least they are not shaping up to be the easy out that they have been in some past seasons.

I'm very intrigued by the Pioneers, whom I have yet to see play this season. Carroll hasn't beaten anyone of note -- the Pios share two south-of-mediocre victims with Carthage -- but they've trounced everybody whom they've played, with the sole exception of St. Norbert (which, as I mentioned, beat Carthage), and that particular win for the Pios was nevertheless a 15-point victory in St. Norbert's gym.

[GoPerry]

Carthage over Wheaton is pretty shocking.  A big upset.

Not really a big upset.  Only in the sense that poll voters, with limited data points to go on, thought a team was better than they actually are.

I actually agree with Mark on this one:

I don't think it was a "big upset" in the classic sense of an undefeated #6 ranked team got beat by a 2 loss unranked team.  This is because I never bought into the ranking in the first place.

But it was an upset that the team picked to finish 2nd in the league got beat by the team picked to finish 7th.  Despite my reservations about Wheaton's performance so far, I did expect them to win but not too shocked they got beat. 

[Gregory Sager]

In my eyes, part of the "bigness" of the upset, so to speak, was the manner in which Carthage beat Wheaton, not simply the fact of the win itself.

[iwu70]

Perhaps the IWU-Carroll game at The Shirk on Saturday will tell us quite a lot about both teams, and where they might actually be now, and surely as a portent for how they may do down the road in the CCIW race.  The big blowout win over Eureka will give the Titans a boost after a pretty rough start, going 1-4.  Carroll, it would seem, is a good test of where IWU may fit in for the overall conference race.  Watching their first few games, I actually was worried IWU might finish way way down in the CCIW, in the bottom group, (may still happen) but now seeing them come together a bit, seeing how good Lauren Huber actually is, and hoping that the seniors (Eck, Bowen, and Lansford) start to play better, I have a somewhat more optimistic take on the Green than before.  We'll see. 

I'm sticking with a "big upset" - Carthage over Wheaton, and surely will continue to use the term "pine-sitters" with no bad meaning intended . . .  many of those IWU pine-sitters will be in the rotation in the next year or two.  It is just amazing, though, that three very talented freshmen are in the IWU rotation this year . . . now. . . (two as starters) and Huber is likely to be the leading scorer, perhaps top rebounder, and an excellent defender.  She is very light on her feet and has a great first step with the ball.  An interesting year, a challenge for Mia Smith to put this all together, with many changing, unpredictable and unknown parts.  I hope the starters and key rotational players for IWU can gain in confidence and, most importantly, in consistency.   A better overall shooting percentage is greatly needed. 

I agree that Sosa was an incredible talent, a great student, and a wonderful person . . .  a great credit to IWU and the program.

IWU'70

[GoPerry]

In my eyes, part of the "bigness" of the upset, so to speak, was the manner in which Carthage beat Wheaton, not simply the fact of the win itself.

Yes.  It was indeed a whoopin'

I'd like to watch the game replay but can't seem to find any link to it.  The post game interview with Bernero is on the Carthage youtube channel but can't find any games.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 73
Chicago 64

Jayla Johnson: 27 pts, 6 rebs, 6 stls
Emily Czuhajewski: 15 pts
Chantel Hairston: 9 rebs

The Vikings did exactly what I'd hoped they would do today: they played their best game of the season against the best opponent they've faced this season, right before they start conference play on Wednesday.

Jayla Johnson was in beast mode in the third quarter, and kept it going into the fourth, when the Vikings were finally able to get some separation down the stretch by pushing the lead into double digits. And she did it at both ends of the floor, as her six steals indicate. The win was a great team effort, though; despite the fact that Czuhajewski and Lee were cold from downtown for most of the game, and NPU was pretty badly outrebounded. Good defense is the ultimate equalizer, and the Vikings just bulldog opposing offenses in the halfcourt for 40 minutes every time they take the floor.

Good to have Amanda Crockett back on the bench for the first time this season. Hat tip to chief assistant Annie Shain for running the team so capably while Amanda was on maternity leave.

[RogK]

Yep, North Park was again energetic for the full 40 minutes. As in earlier games this season, they stick to their game plan and know which of their teammates can do what.
UChicago lacked alertness to start the game. They had some good minutes wherein you could see why they demolished North Central by 40.

[blue_jays]

Yep, North Park was again energetic for the full 40 minutes. As in earlier games this season, they stick to their game plan and know which of their teammates can do what.
UChicago lacked alertness to start the game. They had some good minutes wherein you could see why they demolished North Central by 40.

After graduating three 1,000 point scorers in 2020, UChicago is still trying to figure out its identity with an inexperienced team that is inconsistent offensively. When they shoot like they did against Carthage and NCC, they're golden and can run people out of the building. But when they shoot like they did today and against Calvin, it's an L.
In the UChicago/NCC game, the Cardinals didn't play any semblance of a defense until it was the second half and the game was already out of reach. The Maroons looked like they would score every time down the court.
I feel confident the Maroons will be a dangerous team. The question is will it be this year or next year.

[Gregory Sager]

Millikin beat Augie, 73-62, at the Griz. Elyce Knudsen had a nice line total of 20 pts and a 6:0 a:to ratio, although she didn't shoot well (9-22). Jordan Hildebrand contributed 17 and Bailey Coffman 13 to the winning effort. The Big Blue performed a lot of larceny, with Hildebrand and Mirando Fox pilfering five steals apiece while Chelsea McCullum had four. Augustana was led by Gabriela Loiz with 19 and 6.

To absolutely no one's surprise, Wheaton got back into the win column with a 75-57 triumph over Elmhurst at Faganel Hall. Hannah Swider led the way for the Madsenites with 16, as Annie Tate helped out with 15 and 6, Caylee Hermanson had 14 and 8, and Caroline Sikkink tossed in 11 points as well. Elmhurst was paced by Taylor Harazin's 15 and 10 double-double, while Katie Matrise and Morgan Collar added 12 and 10, respectively.

[Gregory Sager]

North Central bounced back from its disastrous trip to the University of Chicago with a solid 50-40 win in the airplane hangar over Carthage. No stats posted yet, so I'll leave that for Lucas's recap.

Illinois Wesleyan took down Carroll at Shirk, 75-62.

We are off and running, with NPU now the only CCIW team that has yet to open its conference slate.