WBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

On a more general note, I've followed CCIW WBB for about 11 or 12 full seasons now and have pretty much seen what there is to see. I doubt if you'll see me next season, although I may take in a few NAIA games.

Aw, c'mon, Rog. You can't bail out on us like that! You're the one who keeps this page going -- and you're easily the most faithful (and most objective) fan in the entire league. If I need a scoop on a player from one of the seven other teams in the league besides NPU, you're my go-to guy.

I sure hope you'll reconsider.

[iwu70]

Rog, don't do it.  We need you on these pages, for sure.  I'm way over here in Hong Kong for most of the basketball season, so how will I find out about all the other CCIW programs and players.  Truly, don't do it.

mwunder, watch the last 1:30 of the IWU--CC game and you will see what I mean.  Basically, Kuzmanic made the shot and IWU didn't execute in the last few seconds.  Yes, basically a one possession difference.  Kuzmanic iced it with a FT.  A great game and the Titans had their chances, should have grabbed the AQ, then none of this other drama, disappointment would have happened.  Really too bad they are not in the tournament.  They are more than worthy.

Good luck to Carthage -- I hope they go far and have a great tournament, make some noise.  They are a very good team, but will likely run into undefeated Hope on the second night.  At least they are at home, so surely will feel comfortable, be able to take on the challenge.  No easy games now.

Rog, don't do it!

IWU70

[iwu70]

Congratulations to Lexi Baltes on her Jostens nomination -- of one ten D3 women players nominated nationally.  A great achievement and honor.  Full story on the iwu.edu site -- women's basketball link. 

I'm sure she'd rather just be playing basketball this weekend.

IWU70

[RogK]

Thanks for the kind words, but you guys will do fine.
iwu70, even when you're in Hong Kong, you can study the rosters and stats of each team in the league. Stats don't tell the whole story, but are definitely part of it.
Both of you can write summaries of what happened in the various games around the league.
Greg, I'm sure you'll enjoy what looks like a promising immediate future for your Vikings, a talented and athletic group. A charming bunch, too.
iwu70, your Titans will continue to be good.
Now let me exit before the door hits me on my way out. (ha)

[Hoosier Titan]

Rog,

Sorry that you won't be around so much any more.  I've been quiet lately but still following; this board will miss you.  Hope to see you occasionally at some games or at least online.  You probably won't see me at the NAIA games--but you knew that.    All the best--take care!

[RogK]

Toodle pip, HT and the rest of ya.

[bballfan13]

Rog, don't do it.  We need you on these pages, for sure.  I'm way over here in Hong Kong for most of the basketball season, so how will I find out about all the other CCIW programs and players.  Truly, don't do it.

mwunder, watch the last 1:30 of the IWU--CC game and you will see what I mean.  Basically, Kuzmanic made the shot and IWU didn't execute in the last few seconds.  Yes, basically a one possession difference.  Kuzmanic iced it with a FT.  A great game and the Titans had their chances, should have grabbed the AQ, then none of this other drama, disappointment would have happened.  Really too bad they are not in the tournament.  They are more than worthy.

Good luck to Carthage -- I hope they go far and have a great tournament, make some noise.  They are a very good team, but will likely run into undefeated Hope on the second night.  At least they are at home, so surely will feel comfortable, be able to take on the challenge.  No easy games now.

Rog, don't do it!

IWU70

Not discounting Hope's undefeated season as that is no small feat.  But I see this game going Carthage's way on their home court.  Also, Carthage's schedule should have them prepared for this game:

SOS:
Carthage   .568  (40th in the country)
Hope         .517  (192nd in the country)
 

[Roundball999]

Rog, don't do it.  We need you on these pages, for sure.  I'm way over here in Hong Kong for most of the basketball season, so how will I find out about all the other CCIW programs and players.  Truly, don't do it.

mwunder, watch the last 1:30 of the IWU--CC game and you will see what I mean.  Basically, Kuzmanic made the shot and IWU didn't execute in the last few seconds.  Yes, basically a one possession difference.  Kuzmanic iced it with a FT.  A great game and the Titans had their chances, should have grabbed the AQ, then none of this other drama, disappointment would have happened.  Really too bad they are not in the tournament.  They are more than worthy.

Good luck to Carthage -- I hope they go far and have a great tournament, make some noise.  They are a very good team, but will likely run into undefeated Hope on the second night.  At least they are at home, so surely will feel comfortable, be able to take on the challenge.  No easy games now.

Rog, don't do it!

IWU70

Not discounting Hope's undefeated season as that is no small feat.  But I see this game going Carthage's way on their home court.  Also, Carthage's schedule should have them prepared for this game:

SOS:
Carthage   .568  (40th in the country)
Hope         .517  (192nd in the country)
 

I would tend to make Carthage a slight favorite on their home court.  But some other data points:

Massey SOS:  Carthage 30, Hope 90
Common opponent: Hope wins by 75 at NCC, Carthage wins by 4 at NCC.

But Hope needs to worry right now about Wisconsin Lutheran, not Carthage.

[Gregory Sager]

Rog, don't do it.  We need you on these pages, for sure.  I'm way over here in Hong Kong for most of the basketball season, so how will I find out about all the other CCIW programs and players.  Truly, don't do it.

mwunder, watch the last 1:30 of the IWU--CC game and you will see what I mean.  Basically, Kuzmanic made the shot and IWU didn't execute in the last few seconds.  Yes, basically a one possession difference.  Kuzmanic iced it with a FT.  A great game and the Titans had their chances, should have grabbed the AQ, then none of this other drama, disappointment would have happened.  Really too bad they are not in the tournament.  They are more than worthy.

Good luck to Carthage -- I hope they go far and have a great tournament, make some noise.  They are a very good team, but will likely run into undefeated Hope on the second night.  At least they are at home, so surely will feel comfortable, be able to take on the challenge.  No easy games now.

Rog, don't do it!

IWU70

Not discounting Hope's undefeated season as that is no small feat.  But I see this game going Carthage's way on their home court.  Also, Carthage's schedule should have them prepared for this game:

SOS:
Carthage   .568  (40th in the country)
Hope         .517  (192nd in the country)
 

I would tend to make Carthage a slight favorite on their home court.  But some other data points:

Massey SOS:  Carthage 30, Hope 90
Common opponent: Hope wins by 75 at NCC, Carthage wins by 4 at NCC.

You're being selective with your data points, Roundball. You neglected the fact that Carthage and NCC played twice; Carthage beat NCC by 41 in the Toolshed back in January.

North Central isn't exactly the greatest frame of reference, either, as common opponents go. The Cardinals play the Grinnell system, which can lead to some pretty dramatic swings in terms of results (although the 37-point swing in results against the Lady Reds was dramatic even by Grinnell-system standards). Also, the Cardinals were a very young team this year, with only one senior (Marion Boeck) on the roster. Learning how to play Grinnell-style basketball takes time, and clearly the Cardinals were much better at it by season's end than they were on opening weekend, when Hope beat them by 70. Remember, that North Central team beat Illinois Wesleyan on IWU's own floor in the middle of February, a loss that in retrospect knocked the Titans out of a possible Pool C berth. The Cardinals also beat a pretty good Elmhurst team and lost a relatively narrow game to Elmhurst in the rematch.

In other words, the Cardinals team that your Dutch beat by 70 in November wasn't the same Cardinals team that in February took Carthage down to the wire and then beat IWU.

[Roundball999]

Yes, we're all sometime selective with our data, which was kind of the catalyst for my original response.

I have no doubt NCC is much improved.  After the same number of games and practices, is there some reason to think Hope hasn't also improved? 

But as I said I would give Carthage a slight edge on their home court.  Right now Hope needs to worry about WLC and their outstanding 6'2" post player who has been really dominant in recent games.

[iwu70]

RogK, farewell!  Hope you at least lurk and stop by from time to time.  We'll miss you fine reports, good data provided on this board over the years. 

My Titans will be in a major re-build now, so next year will be a tough one, a learning experience for mostly younger, new players.  WC, CC and perhaps NPU will likely be in the top group next season.  We'll see. 

Good luck, and all best.

IWU70

[Gregory Sager]

I have no doubt NCC is much improved.  After the same number of games and practices, is there some reason to think Hope hasn't also improved?

Probably not as much as NCC has, given that: a) the Cardinals were a very young team; b) all of the Cardinals' newbies had to get used to playing a radically different style of basketball than they were used to; and c) Hope lost a couple of starters to injuries along the way -- which, although it didn't impede the Dutch enough to keep them from running the table, probably hindered their November-to-March growth in terms of overall competence when compared to a team like NCC.

Who knows? If North Central and Hope were to play again this weekend, perhaps the Dutch would win again by 70. Or perhaps the Cardinals would do to the Dutch what they did to Illinois Wesleyan. The way that the season bore out leads me to think that the latter is a better bet than the former, even though on balance I'd say that Hope would be a sizeable favorite. (It's just hard to predict an outcome margin that involves a Grinnell-system team.)

My Titans will be in a major re-build now, so next year will be a tough one, a learning experience for mostly younger, new players.  WC, CC and perhaps NPU will likely be in the top group next season.

You're making a mistake in leaving Elmhurst out of that equation, Mark. I  think that the Bluejays are going to be a very fine team in 2014-15.

[iwu70]

Yes, agreed Greg, EC will be good next year too.  Seems to me IWU could be in the bottom half of the league next year, but we'll see what Mia cooks up and what the newbies, those who've been sitting on the pine, can do.  Only key players back now are Kasey Reaber and Gabrielle Holness.  3/4s or more of IWU rotation next season will be new, untested in CCIW-level play.  Could be ugly at first, for a time. 

We all await more news on recruits for the class of 2018.  Molly McGraw and Rebekah Ehresman is all I've heard about so far for the Titans. 

IWU70

[Madison135]

Iwu will be fine next year yes they lose a lot but smith plays a lot of kids. Reaber played all 5 spots this year. I have watched her since high school she does whatever the team needs to win. So if they need her to score next yr I am sure she will she scored almost 500 pts junior yr. Holiness will be better soph yr and beoletto defense. Kelly was getting more and more time this yr. but I agree they will need a post but will be a very fast team.

[iwu70]

Thanks, Madison, for info about the IWU prospects next year.  I agree Holness will be much much improved next year.  She had an outstanding high school career and played very well for the Titans this year, her freshman year.  And, Kasey Reaber will likely be one of the top scorers, key players next year.  I agree.  She's gotta learn to drive both ways, not just right.  Don't know much about the others coming up on the Titan rooster, those sitting on the pine this year and those playing some of those JV games.  Do provide more info if you have it.  We'd all be interested in seeing how the Titans' rebuild, reload goes for next season.  I'm impressed with the high school careers of McGraw and Ehresman and hope they make the transition quickly to the college game.  Sometimes it is smooth, other times it really takes some adjustment, especially for the competition with the upper tier of the CCIW.  Hard to quickly replace these five outstanding, departing seniors who have contributed so much, so long to the Titan program.  As has been mentioned, WC and CC and NPU have a lot coming back, and many also think EC will be very good next year.  I think WC will probably be pre-season favorite with McDaniels and Zeller returning.  Good luck to the Titans -- and hope everyone works hard, improves in the off-season.  I truly enjoyed the season this year and appreciate Coach Smith and all the squad members.  Good luck to the seniors in future endeavors.

How did the JV games go this year -- who played and who played well?  Good to see the Titans women's program so strong, able to have some JV games, schedule as well. 

IWU70