WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[RogK]

Backseat Driver, I think your all-CCIW list is pretty good. There can be surprise additions or omissions. I'd like to see Sarah Peterson and Roxxanne Jones make it, but that would likely (my guess) bump Laura Karsten from the list. Glad you mentioned Godhart --- she's a good one.
I think a lot of coaches around the league highly admire Diana Jacklin and what she's done this year, so I wouldn't be surprised by a MOP tie/split for her and Olivia.

[iwu70]

Olivia Lett needs just 3 more points to set an all-time single season scoring record at IWU.  She's in some very fine company now with Cantrell, Butler, and Solari.   Before the season is out, she's going to set a number of other single season records too -- likely FTs made in a season etc.  She's only played 23 games so far, and all the other record-holders she's passing did their fine work in 28-31 games.  What a season she's having.

See the nice write-up about her and her current CCIW Player of the Week award on the iwu.edu sports section page.

IWU70

P.S.  Agree on Godhart too.  A good player.  I don't see the coaches leaving Karsten off the All-CCIW squads.  ms

[Gregory Sager]

Ok RogK you got my mind going about all-conference picks so I'll throw out a list, fully expecting plenty of feedback:

First Team
Olivia Lett - Illinois Wesleyan (MOP)
Diana Jacklin- Carthage
Meghan Merklein- Elmhurst
Melissa Gardner- Illinois Wesleyan
Lindsey Brenneman- Wheaton

Second Team
Cailee Corcoran- Carthage
Crystal Zeigler- Millikin
Brooke Olson- Wheaton
Laura Karsten- Wheaton
Megan Ney- Elmhurst

Third Team
Roxanne Jones- North Park
Natalie Runge- Augustana
Cecily Aldridge- Millikin
Elisabeth Potts- Wheaton
Britt Hasselbring- Illinois Wesleyan

Other candidates
Sarah Peterson- North Park
Tess Godhart- Elmhurst
Julia Robert- Millikin

I think where a team finishes in the standings definitely impacts the selections, ultimately. That's one of the main reasons I included Britt Hasselbring over the "other candidates,"  and also why I slid Cailee Corcoran to the second team. I'm not convinced that Wheaton will get four players on the team, but I couldn't pick one to leave off. Depending on which team ends up in fourth place, I would not be surprised at all to see Julia Robert or Tess Godhardt replace one of the Wheaton players.

I also had a hard time with which NPU player to put on there since I don't think they'll get more than one. Peterson is a senior and has had a good year, but Jones has better numbers and was inexplicably left off of last year's team.

Sarah Peterson is not a senior, BD. She's a junior.

[Backseat Driver]

Sarah Peterson is not a senior, BD. She's a junior.

Bummer I thought I made it through that post without any mistakes. My bad. For some reason I've had it in my head all year that she was a senior, when in fact, it's Roxxanne Jones who is the senior! I will now slink away in disgrace.

[RogK]

No need to slink away, Backseat Driver. Last year, I was thinking Natalie R was a senior, but all the while she was a junior.
Hey Greg, do you know if Roxie Jones can return for another season? She hasn't played 4 years at North Park. She maybe has another year of eligibility even though a senior academically? I think a grad student could play a second year as a senior if she has her 4th basketball year remaining.

[iwu70]

Senior Night for IWU this coming Saturday vs Elmhurst, honoring Olivia Lett, Karen Solari, Amy Burton and Britt Hasselbring. 

It's wear green night, in recognition, too, of the University's commitment to environmental sustainability.  PINK fade to GREEN.

GO GREEN, GO TITANS!!!

IWU70

[RogK]

iwu70's list of IWU seniors got me to look at their roster to see what grade Michelle Bilek is -- she's a junior. Took a look at her game-by-game stats in CCIW play. You Titan fans will enjoy this, and the rest of you will be impressed.
In the 12 conference games to date, she is shooting .571 overall FG, .385 3FG (10/26, very good) and .783 2FG (wow, 18/23). Her 28 total FGs made is less than the minimum 3/game needed to make the official leaders.
At the foul line, she's 17/22 (.773), not bad. Her 10 turnovers are not bad either.

[iwu70]

RogK, yes, Bilek has had a great run in conference play, surely one of the best bench players in the CCIW this season, and, of course, hitting that big trey vs. Carthage down here @Shirk.  The "shot of the year," in a way.  Had to do great things for her confidence, the trust of the other teammates in her play.   I would call her game "scrappy" as she just works so hard, and knows how to run the floor, move without the ball, play tough D in the run and jump.  She's shooting such a high percentage as she really knows how to slip thru on the fast break, get lots of layups, esp. from the left side.  Good balance and body control in strange situations.  Her teammates seem to know what she is about and often reward her effort with good passes.  She could easily be in the starting line-up next year . . . with alot of other juniors and sophomores with significant CCIW game experience returning -- Gardner, McMahon, Jackson, Baltes, Seibring, Scurlock, both Reabers . . . and a few others.  Given the frantic style of play, lots of Titans on the roster with significant minutes this year.   Along with the recruiting, some newbies, the Titans have a very good collection of experienced players to build on for next season.  Titans will need to recruit more post players and another PG or two.  Of course, very difficult to replace Lett, Solari and Hasselbring, but I think it actually is, to some degree, a situation again of "reloading, not rebuilding." IMHO.  Baltes likely replacing Hasselbring at PG.  Gardner will up her scoring, though she is primarily a perimeter player, trey shooter.  None of these returnees have the overall game that Lett has, but, frankly, who in the entire country does?    Glad you noticed Bilek's fine play.  Your kudos to her are well-deserved, me thinks.

IWU70

[RogK]

Since so many (none) of you ask for one, here's an Olivet Nazarene update.
Last night, they committed 33 TOs, shot 33 pct and won, 88-81 over St Xavier. Isn't it a bit unusual to miss 2/3 of your FG att, turn it over 33 times and still manage 88 points?
Last Saturday, I saw their 110-83 win at St Francis (remarkably similar score to the 111-82 final I saw the previous Saturday).
Illinois Wesleyan, on December 12, was the last team to beat ONU.

[RogK]

I'll be at Elmhurst tonight -- they and visiting Carthage each need a win, so it should be a vigorous battle.

[Gregory Sager]

No need to slink away, Backseat Driver. Last year, I was thinking Natalie R was a senior, but all the while she was a junior.
Hey Greg, do you know if Roxie Jones can return for another season? She hasn't played 4 years at North Park. She maybe has another year of eligibility even though a senior academically? I think a grad student could play a second year as a senior if she has her 4th basketball year remaining.

That's true. A grad student can finish out her or his collegiate playing career, as long as the student-athlete in question is enrolled in a graduate program affiliated with the school from which she or he graduated. NPU has had two recent student-athletes take advantage of this rule; Ed Whitaker of the men's basketball team used his fourth year of eligibility as an MBA student four seasons ago, and this past fall All-American soccer player Kristoffer Grahn did the same thing for the Vikings. (Grahn will complete his MBA next year while serving as an assistant coach for the NPU soccer team.) Kent Raymond, a three-time CCIW Most Outstanding player in men's basketball, used the same grad-school loophole at Wheaton a few years back.

Unfortunately, Roxie Jones played two years of ball at Wright College prior to enrolling at North Park, which means that her eligibility is expiring. Even if it wasn't, she's an exercise science major, and NPU does not offer a master's degree in that particular field.

I'd sure love to see her back with the Vikings next year if it was possible. As I will listen to Roxie's career stats being recited tonight over the P.A. in recognition of senior night (she and Antionette Collman are the two Vikings seniors being honored before this evening's game against NCC), I'll think about how much she will be missed next season.

[Backer]

I'll be at Elmhurst tonight -- they and visiting Carthage each need a win, so it should be a vigorous battle.

Have you done the math to compute how the 3rd-4th place tie-breaker might fall out after an Elmhurst victory?  More difficult is a 4th-5th tie-breaker situation with Millikin perhaps at the end of the week?

[RogK]

Backer, my answers are 'no' and 'no.' My brain is already strained from being at work!

[iwu70]

Backer, let us know when you figure it out, OK?  All I know is that my beloved Titans are likely hosting, likely seeded #1 and likely playing at The Shirk for the CCIW tournament championship.  Looking forward to it.  I'm sure the game tonight @ Millikin will be a tough game. 

New regional rankings out today and IWU is ranked #5 in the Central Region, behind University of Chicago, WI-Stevens Point, Wisconsin-River Falls and Wash U.  Some mighty fine company there and some very tough opponents.  Titans lost earlier in the season to UC and Point.  Would love to have another crack at them.  Stay tuned.

Olivia Lett going for the single season scoring record tonight, perhaps the single season FTs made record, too, at the Griz in Decatur.

My money is on Carthage winning tonight.

Roxie Jones has played well during her NPU career.  Lots of good senior players wrapping up their CCIW careers this week.  Good luck to them all. 

IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

I'll be at Elmhurst tonight -- they and visiting Carthage each need a win, so it should be a vigorous battle.

Have you done the math to compute how the 3rd-4th place tie-breaker might fall out after an Elmhurst victory?  More difficult is a 4th-5th tie-breaker situation with Millikin perhaps at the end of the week?

If they win tonight, Elmhurst will likely get into the CCIW tourney. Here's what I think the scenario would be:

If Elmhurst beats Carthage, and IWU beats Millikin, Elmhurst and Carthage would be 8-5 and Millikin would be 7-6.

Saturday's games are:
Elmhurst @ IWU
Augie @ Carthage
Millikin @ NCC

Chances are, IWU will beat Elmhurst, Carthage will beat Augie, and Millikin will beat NCC--which would leave us:

Carthage 9-5
Elmhurst 8-6
Millikin 8-6

The tiebrakers are as follows:
1. Head-to-head competition.
2. Record against team(s) above the tie beginning with the highest ranked team.
3. Record vs. team or teams in 3 rd place. If still tied, go to the next place for determination, et cetera.
4. Road record against conference schools.
5. Record in their last seven conference games.
6. The point spread of the tied teams’ head-to head competition.
7. Coin toss

In this scenario, Elmhurst and Millikin would both be 0-2 vs. 1st place IWU and 1-1 vs. 2nd place Wheaton. Having beaten Carthage (hypothetical), Elmhurst would win a tiebraker over Millikin and receive the #4 seed.

Feel free to check my work.

If Elmhurst loses tonight, they would need to upset IWU at Shirk Center on Saturday to get in.

Obviously, if Millikin beats IWU tonight, the advantage swings to them for tiebrakers involving either Elmhurst or Carthage.