WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

#5 Wash U over Augie, 74-61.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

The Vikings took care of business on their SLIAC road trip, although it wasn't always done in artistic fashion. Last night NPU handled a pretty poor Blackburn team relatively easily, 75-48, although it took the Vikings awhile to get going due to the same sort of poor shooting that plagued them against Chicago. Kamauria Acree ended the day with 15 points for the Park, while Sarah Peterson recorded a double-double (10 and 10) and Shaina Yalda dished out 8 dimes. Today, NPU downed Fontbonne, 70-48. Freshman Nicole Kruckman had a career day with a 19 and 10 double-double, while Kamauria Acree contributed 18 points and Sarah Peterson grabbed 11 caroms.

The Vikings are now 7-0, but that doesn't really mean much of anything. NPU's played an extremely weak schedule to date; the opponents' winning percentage of the Vikings is a terrible .191 (9-38). NPU's next game is Saturday, the first day after finals conclude, as they will host Westminster (2-3). The Blue Jays face Millikin tomorrow, so we'll see if they will constitute a step up in competition from the two SLIAC teams that the Park disposed of this weekend. The good news is that NPU appears to be due to face some tougher competition just before the CCIW slate begins (which is exactly when you want to start facing tougher teams); on the west coast trip the Vikings will lock horns with Pacific (5-0) and UC-Santa Cruz (6-3) before coming back to the midwest to take on Mt. St. Joseph in Cincinnati in their final pre-CCIW tuneup.

[Backseat Driver]

Wheaton wrapped up its SoCal trip as expected, with a 79-43 win over Pomona-Pitzer.

Brooke Olson with 22 points and 5 assists. Pretty balanced scoring from the rest of the squad.
Maris Hovee with 11 rebounds.

Wheaton plays @ Rockford next Friday, and then hosts Benedictine on Saturday.

[iwu70]

Millikin over Westminster, 72-61.

Wheaton is playing very well, with Brooke Olson at an All-CCIW level, it would appear. 

IWU70

[RogK]

Somehow I ended up attending Wheaton's two wins over there in Claremont (I'm in El Segundo at the moment for another day of planespotting at LAX). The Thunder did very well and the two opponents were not ready for Wheaton's smart and energetic defense (full and half court), nor could they do much about Wheaton's quick-moving offense. Maris Hovee was very sharp at both ends of the court. As stated by others here, Brooke Olson is definitely playing at a 1st team all-conf level. Breanna Bohlen doesn't get mentioned a lot, but she is an excellent contributor on defense and offense.
Jenn Lee rejoined the hoops team following the soccer season; congratulations to her and teammates for making the D3 final four. Also, congrats to teammate Laura Karsten (CCIW most outstanding player for basketball a couple seasons ago) for being named 1st team all-America in soccer.
A look at the stats of the recent NC 88-83 loss to Lake Forest shows an alarmingly low-scoring first half (38-36). Ha. NC shot not-so-good : 13/37 2FG and 12/51 3FG.

[iwu70]

RogK, nice job getting to So Cal when the temps dive to mid-teens here in Centrail Illinois!

WC looks very very strong to me.  I think they are the biggest challenge for the Titans to maintain their long run as CCIW regular season and tourney champs this year.  CC will be tough, perhaps others, but WC seems to have all the pieces and some mighty fine starters, perimeter and in the post, to put together a great run this year.  WC-IWU games are going to be something this year. 

IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

Congrats to Wheaton's Brooke Olson for her CCIW player of the week honors! Brooke is the "motor" of this year's Thunder squad, and she is certainly playing well so far.

I do think, that while Wheaton is 7-1, they should be based on their schedule thus far. It's not as though it was by design to play a weak slate, since teams that have been pretty good in the past (Chicago, St. Mary's) are in rebuilding mode. But the reality is that the Thunder lost the only game it has played against a good team so far.

Now, that doesn't mean I doubt that Wheaton is a contender this year. I think they have the talent and the coaching to win the league. And the league is wide open, in my opinion. I don't think, based on this year's results to date, there is any kind of discernible favorite. I guess "favorite" status belongs to IWU until someone beats them.

All that to say, it is a good sign that Wheaton has taken care of business so far. But I'm sure that they are fully aware that the competition awaiting in the CCIW will be on another level than what they've seen so far.

[RogK]

iwu70, in addition to L.A. being warmer than Chicago in December, another good reason for me to visit here in the winter half of the year is that all but one of the prime spots for taking photos of planes at LAX are north-facing, so the planes are nicely sunlit. Right on the coast here though, a couple mornings were foggy and cool until about 10 a.m. Anyway, I'll be flying home later today.

[iwu70]

Yes, WC could probably use a bit tougher schedule, in prep for the CCIW race.  I feel the Titans are still the favorite, though they won't be as separated from the rest of the league (save for usually WC and CC) as they were in the past.  If they can stay healthy, get the run and jump and the rebounding better tuned up, and keep up the very balanced and strong scoring attack, I think they have a real chance for their, what is it?, sixth straight CCIW crown.  I'm sure CC and WC will give them a real struggle for it this year, perhaps others, though it seems MU is not playing as well as some of us had expected.  We'll also see if NP is as good as their early season record perhaps indicates . . .  I doubt it. 

New poll out, with IWU at 18th (seems about right to me) and WC and CC getting some weak love in ORVs.  Wash U looks strongest regionally to me. 

Titans have a another very very tough game this weekend up in Wisconsin.  I'm still hoping for 8-3 in the pre-CCIW portion of the season, which would be a major achievement.  The national champs last year went 7-4 as I recall, in the pre-CCIW season part.

RogK, welcome back to winter.  LA and photo shoots there sound very nice, even with the morning fog.  I'm a Bay area person myself . . . never much enjoyed the spread-out spaces, urban environs of the LA basin.  Do enjoy the areas up the coast, and surely the San Diego area, esp. the UC San Diego campus.  Lovely.

Super cold her in Blo/No this a.m. -- 17 degrees as I went out my door for Ames Library this morning.  Everyone is in exams now for the next four days.

Yes, congrats to Brooke Olson on CCIW Player of the Week.  Well deserved.  Seems she's playing at the highest level of any CCIW women player just now.  Surely a candidate for POY honors if she keeps this up.   

IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

Yes, WC could probably use a bit tougher schedule, in prep for the CCIW race.  I feel the Titans are still the favorite, though they won't be as separated from the rest of the league (save for usually WC and CC) as they were in the past.  If they can stay healthy, get the run and jump and the rebounding better tuned up, and keep up the very balanced and strong scoring attack, I think they have a real chance for their, what is it?, sixth straight CCIW crown.  I'm sure CC and WC will give them a real struggle for it this year, perhaps others, though it seems MU is not playing as well as some of us had expected.  We'll also see if NP is as good as their early season record perhaps indicates . . .  I doubt it. 

New poll out, with IWU at 18th (seems about right to me) and WC and CC getting some weak love in ORVs.  Wash U looks strongest regionally to me. 

Titans have a another very very tough game this weekend up in Wisconsin.  I'm still hoping for 8-3 in the pre-CCIW portion of the season, which would be a major achievement.  The national champs last year went 7-4 as I recall, in the pre-CCIW season part.

RogK, welcome back to winter.  LA and photo shoots there sound very nice, even with the morning fog.  I'm a Bay area person myself . . . never much enjoyed the spread-out spaces, urban environs of the LA basin.  Do enjoy the areas up the coast, and surely the San Diego area, esp. the UC San Diego campus.  Lovely.

Super cold her in Blo/No this a.m. -- 17 degrees as I went out my door for Ames Library this morning.  Everyone is in exams now for the next four days.

Yes, congrats to Brooke Olson on CCIW Player of the Week.  Well deserved.  Seems she's playing at the highest level of any CCIW women player just now.  Surely a candidate for POY honors if she keeps this up.   

IWU70

There's a ton of factors that go into scheduling, and like I said before it's not as though Wheaton decided they only wanted to beat up on inferior teams. The good thing about Wheaton's schedule is that it contains a lot of in-region games.

And, not to be picky, but technically everyone is still a candidate for the Most Outstanding Player award, since no conference games have been played.

[iwu70]

Re: Olson, Backseat, I take your point, but I said "if she keeps this up."  Lots of basketball to be played and I'm sure others will have their say during the CCIW season.  I can think of 7-8 players who will likely have POY type seasons, if they continue to play well.  Should be a very interesting conference race.

IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

Re: Olson, Backseat, I take your point, but I said "if she keeps this up."  Lots of basketball to be played and I'm sure others will have their say during the CCIW season.  I can think of 7-8 players who will likely have POY type seasons, if they continue to play well.  Should be a very interesting conference race.

IWU70

My apologies, 70, you were the victim of a pre-coffee post on my part.

[Gregory Sager]

There's a ton of factors that go into scheduling, and like I said before it's not as though Wheaton decided they only wanted to beat up on inferior teams.

... and one of those factors is late cancellations. It's not as though Amanda Reese deliberately set out to have NPU play Moody. The good folks at Moody are always game to put an NPU team on the schedule if there's a last-minute cancellation for the Park. The NPU men's soccer team had a similar situation filled by Moody last year.

[iwu70]

Backseat, not to worry.  I have very thick skin and feel chatsters can say whatever they wish in here.  As you can see, I do . . . and often get called silly or something worse.  Goes with the room and the strong-minded chatsters we've always had in the CCIW rooms.   I enjoy it all and enjoy hearing all the various views, opinions and news shared here.

Back to my coffee. 



IWU70

[Backseat Driver]

Elmhurst lost at home to Edgewood tonight, 71-65. The Blue Jays beat Edgewood by 36 last year.