MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

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Titan Q

#50385
Each Pool C year is a little different, but if you are wondering what general kind of numbers get you in...below are the Pool C selections for the last two seasons. (Note, there are 20 Pool Cs this year...not 21.)

(I can't confirm the order of these selection...just my best guess at the time.)

2017-18 Season
1. Hamilton (NE/NESCAC): .846 (22-4)/.573/6-3 
2. Wesleyan (NE/NESCAC): .778 (21-6)/.590/8-4   
3. UW-Platteville (CE/WIAC: .833 (20-4)/.577/4-1   
4. Whitman (WE/NWC): .962 (25-1)/.515/4-1
5. Swarthmore (MA/CC): .815 (22-5)/.542/3-4   
6. St. John's (WE/MIAC): .880 (22-3)/.524/3-2 
7. Middlebury (NE/NESCAC): .760 (19-6).590/4-6   
8. Wooster (GL/NCAC): .778 (21-6)/.565/4-3
9. Marietta (GL/OAC): .778 (21-6)/.564/4-5   
10. New Jersey City (AT/NJAC): .731 (19-7)/.567/6-4   
11. Emory (SO/UAA): .840 (21-4)/.530/4-2 
12. Christopher Newport (MA/CAC): .777 (21-6)/.546/3-2   
13. UW-Oshkosh (CE/WIAC): .741 (20-7)/.554/2-4   
14. St. Olaf (WE/MIAC): .731 (19-7)/.544/3-2   
15. Albright (MA/Commonwealth): .769 (20-6)/.544/3-2   
16. Franklin and Marshall (MA/CC): .769 (20-6)/.536/3-4 
17. North Central (CE/CCIW): .692 (18-8)/.563/4-5   
18. Illinois Wesleyan (CE/CCIW): .731 (19-7)/.550/3-6 
19. Springfield (NE/NEWMAC): .692 (18-8)/.558/4-2 
20. Brockport (E/SUNYAC): .731/.529/3-3
21. LeTourneau (SO/ASC): .852 (23-4)/.511/2-2


2016-17
1. Babson (NE/NEWMAC): .926/.574/4-1
2. Williams (NE/NESCAC): .731/.592/7-4   
3. Susquehanna (MA/LAND): .800/.556/4-4
4. UW-Whitewater (C/WIAC): .769/.567/3-5
5. Rochester (E/UAA): .840/.534/4-2
6. Amherst (NE/NESCAC): .708/.598/5-5
7. Tufts (NE/NESCAC): .769/.566/4-4
8. Wesleyan (NE/NESCAC): .760/.560/4-3
9. Whitworth (W/NWC): .852/.544/0-3
10. Salisbury (MA/CAC): .741/.546/3-4
11. New Jersey City (AT/NJAC): .750/.533/5-4
12. Hope (GL/MIAA): .800/.525/2-1
13. Cabrini (AT/CSAC): .760/.531/2-3
14. Emory (S/UAA): .720/.547/2-3
15. Skidmore (E/LL): .731/.527/6-1
16. St. Lawrence (E/LL): .769/.526/3-5
17. Augustana (C/CCIW): .704/.542/2-2
18. Keene State (NE/LEC): .679/.575/3-4
19. Endicott (NE/CCC): .786/.532/1-1
20. St. Thomas (W/MIAC): .731/.530/1-2
21. UW-Oshkosh: (C/WIAC): .630/.601/5-6


Current 2018-19 Numbers
* https://tomaroonandgold.blogspot.com/p/division-iii-mens-regional-rankings.html

* http://www.fantastic50.net/d3h_men.html

lmitzel

Looking at the numbers above with that in mind, combined with Drew's analysis of North Central, seems like the path is pretty clear.

Assuming Wheaton knocks off Elmhurst (which should seal their Pool C bid), if NCC then wins the rubber match with the Thunder and loses to Augie/IWU in the title game, here's what we're looking at:

.778/.520+ SOS (probably what, .523 or so?)/4-4 vRRO

In that scenario, Drew has NCC as a 69% chance of making the tournament. Seems about right. I went looking through the data of the last two years for the historical parallels; maybe the best comp is St. Lawrence from two years ago. Identical record going into the conference tournament, 2nd place in the conference, except the Saints lost in the tournament semis. Assuming Q's Pool C order is close, that's just on the right side of the bubble. I'm cautiously optimistic.
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Titan Q

Quote from: lmitzel on February 18, 2019, 12:38:44 PM
Looking at the numbers above with that in mind, combined with Drew's analysis of North Central, seems like the path is pretty clear.

Assuming Wheaton knocks off Elmhurst (which should seal their Pool C bid), if NCC then wins the rubber match with the Thunder and loses to Augie/IWU in the title game, here's what we're looking at:

.778/.520+ SOS (probably what, .523 or so?)/4-4 vRRO

In that scenario, Drew has NCC as a 69% chance of making the tournament. Seems about right. I went looking through the data of the last two years for the historical parallels; maybe the best comp is St. Lawrence from two years ago. Identical record going into the conference tournament, 2nd place in the conference, except the Saints lost in the tournament semis. Assuming Q's Pool C order is close, that's just on the right side of the bubble. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I believe Wheaton is in with a win Tuesday and loss Friday to NCC.  (Out with a loss Tuesday.)

I believe NCC is in with a win Friday vs Wheaton/Elmhurst and loss Saturday.  (Out with a loss Friday.)

I think the CCIW's path to two Pool Cs is pretty clear.

GoPerry

Quote from: Titan Q on February 18, 2019, 01:21:21 PM
Quote from: lmitzel on February 18, 2019, 12:38:44 PM
Looking at the numbers above with that in mind, combined with Drew's analysis of North Central, seems like the path is pretty clear.

Assuming Wheaton knocks off Elmhurst (which should seal their Pool C bid), if NCC then wins the rubber match with the Thunder and loses to Augie/IWU in the title game, here's what we're looking at:

.778/.520+ SOS (probably what, .523 or so?)/4-4 vRRO

In that scenario, Drew has NCC as a 69% chance of making the tournament. Seems about right. I went looking through the data of the last two years for the historical parallels; maybe the best comp is St. Lawrence from two years ago. Identical record going into the conference tournament, 2nd place in the conference, except the Saints lost in the tournament semis. Assuming Q's Pool C order is close, that's just on the right side of the bubble. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I believe Wheaton is in with a win Tuesday and loss Friday to NCC.  (Out with a loss Tuesday.)
[/b]
I believe NCC is in with a win Friday vs Wheaton/Elmhurst and loss Saturday.  (Out with a loss Friday.)

I think the CCIW's path to two Pool Cs is pretty clear.

That's slightly different than what you posted yesterday Q re: Wheaton's prospects.  But that likely illustrates how fluid those last 4-5 C's will be this week leading to Sunday.  I actually agree with you now that if WC loses tomorrow - I'd be skeptical. 


lmitzel

New top 25 is out. Augie up one to #3, NCC up two to #21, Wheaton and IWU still in ORV territory.
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voxelmhurst

Quote from: Titan Q on February 18, 2019, 01:21:21 PM
Quote from: lmitzel on February 18, 2019, 12:38:44 PM
Looking at the numbers above with that in mind, combined with Drew's analysis of North Central, seems like the path is pretty clear.

Assuming Wheaton knocks off Elmhurst (which should seal their Pool C bid), if NCC then wins the rubber match with the Thunder and loses to Augie/IWU in the title game, here's what we're looking at:

.778/.520+ SOS (probably what, .523 or so?)/4-4 vRRO

In that scenario, Drew has NCC as a 69% chance of making the tournament. Seems about right. I went looking through the data of the last two years for the historical parallels; maybe the best comp is St. Lawrence from two years ago. Identical record going into the conference tournament, 2nd place in the conference, except the Saints lost in the tournament semis. Assuming Q's Pool C order is close, that's just on the right side of the bubble. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I believe Wheaton is in with a win Tuesday and loss Friday to NCC.  (Out with a loss Tuesday.)

I believe NCC is in with a win Friday vs Wheaton/Elmhurst and loss Saturday.  (Out with a loss Friday.)

I think the CCIW's path to two Pool Cs is pretty clear.

NCC cannot play Elmhurst on Friday due to the format (highest seed vs. lowest remaining seed). If they make it to Rock Island, Elmhurst can only play Augustana on Friday night. Thus, as of now, NCC's Friday opponent can be Wheaton, IWU, or Carroll.

I'd imagine IWU and Carroll fans would want an Elmhurst upset tomorrow night so as to get to avoid host Augustana in Round 2.

I'd imagine NCC is rooting for no upsets in the opening round, so as to have the strongest possible opponents to add to their resume in Rock Island?

lmitzel

Quote from: voxelmhurst on February 18, 2019, 03:44:34 PM
Quote from: Titan Q on February 18, 2019, 01:21:21 PM
Quote from: lmitzel on February 18, 2019, 12:38:44 PM
Looking at the numbers above with that in mind, combined with Drew's analysis of North Central, seems like the path is pretty clear.

Assuming Wheaton knocks off Elmhurst (which should seal their Pool C bid), if NCC then wins the rubber match with the Thunder and loses to Augie/IWU in the title game, here's what we're looking at:

.778/.520+ SOS (probably what, .523 or so?)/4-4 vRRO

In that scenario, Drew has NCC as a 69% chance of making the tournament. Seems about right. I went looking through the data of the last two years for the historical parallels; maybe the best comp is St. Lawrence from two years ago. Identical record going into the conference tournament, 2nd place in the conference, except the Saints lost in the tournament semis. Assuming Q's Pool C order is close, that's just on the right side of the bubble. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I believe Wheaton is in with a win Tuesday and loss Friday to NCC.  (Out with a loss Tuesday.)

I believe NCC is in with a win Friday vs Wheaton/Elmhurst and loss Saturday.  (Out with a loss Friday.)

I think the CCIW's path to two Pool Cs is pretty clear.

NCC cannot play Elmhurst on Friday due to the format (highest seed vs. lowest remaining seed). If they make it to Rock Island, Elmhurst can only play Augustana on Friday night. Thus, as of now, NCC's Friday opponent can be Wheaton, IWU, or Carroll.

I'd imagine IWU and Carroll fans would want an Elmhurst upset tomorrow night so as to get to avoid host Augustana in Round 2.

I'd imagine NCC is rooting for no upsets in the opening round, so as to have the strongest possible opponents to add to their resume in Rock Island?

The one team I don't want is Carroll. Yeah, it's the easiest path to the title game, at least on paper, but it's not a resume booster. IWU would be fine because it would still be a boost to SOS and would be another hypothetical RRO win. So if Elmhurst wants to get Aston Francis out of the way, I for one would not shed a tear. :) Our green friends would just need to hold up their end of the bargain.
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Gregory Sager

Brady Rose of Illinois Wesleyan was announced today by the league office as the final POTW award winner this season. That's a nice recognition, since he's never won one before and it feels as though he's deserved at least one over the course of his career.
"To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

Titan Q

#50393
Illinois Wesleyan (17-8, 10-6) vs Carroll (11-14, 7-9), 7pm...

Titans (17-8, 10-6)
G - Brady Rose, 6-3/185 Sr.  20.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.7 apg
G - Colin Bonnett, 6-4/190 Sr.  12.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 2.6 apg
G - Jason Gregoire, 6-4/205 Sr.  9.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.8 apg
F - Doug Wallen, 6-5/210 So. 7.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg
F - Danny Baker, 6-6/210 Sr.  3.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg

Pioneers (11-14, 7-9)
G - Ryan Clarey, 6-0/180 Sr.  7.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.3 apg
G - Troy Howat, 6-2/175 Sr.  9.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.1 apg
G - Nick Penny, 6-2/185 Jr.  10.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.7 apg
F - Kale Maupin, 6-4/190 Jr.  6.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg
F - Tyler Ingebrightsen, 6-7/225 Sr.  8.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg


Pantagraph - https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/iwu-meets-carroll-again-in-cciw-tournament/article_708f4a7b-e26a-51e8-aaf6-8b35aa9e907c.html

Video/Stats - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/iwu/

WEXG Radio - https://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/index.cfm?stationCallSign=WWHP

Mr. Ypsi

Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 18, 2019, 06:52:07 PM
Brady Rose of Illinois Wesleyan was announced today by the league office as the final POTW award winner this season. That's a nice recognition, since he's never won one before and it feels as though he's deserved at least one over the course of his career.

That's amazing that Brady has NEVER been POTW before. :o 

But I thought this season's rule was that only Aston Francis was eligible?! ;D

Gregory Sager

Actually, I misspoke. I mixed him up with Nolan Ebel, who's never won the award. Rose won it three times last season.

Aston Francis ends his career with 16 of 'em -- three as a sophomore, four as a junior, and nine this season.
"To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

kiko

Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 17, 2019, 11:25:58 PM
Quote from: kiko on February 17, 2019, 06:56:45 PM
Quote from: Gregory Sager on February 17, 2019, 03:26:55 PM
Second, I'm not so sure that losing Chang and Bronec to injury affected NCC's record all that much. First of all, remember that they were both role players. Although they were both starters, between the two of them they only averaged 43 minutes per game; their aggregate ppg and rpg numbers, 10.6 and 6.3, would be decent but hardly outstanding for one player, let alone two put together; and in combination they had a negative a:to. They played useful roles as minutes-fillers and as experienced cogs that helped keep the machinery running, but neither was anything close to being a vital part. As it turned out, even when put together they weren't vital -- NCC overcame the loss of both of them and finished second in the league, which is a very fine credit to both the NCC coaching staff and to the rest of the Cardinals rotation.

Both played in NCC's home loss to North Park that, in retrospect, looks like one of two catastrophic defeats from a criteria standpoint. They were both missing for the second catastrophic defeat, which was to Ohio Northern in Vegas over the holidays, and AndOne made the case that this was because the Cards were still getting used to playing without Chang and Bronec. But that flies in the face of the evidence of the previous game; the loss to the Polar Bears followed one day after a 42-point slaughter of a Husson team that is roughly on par with Ohio Northern (Massey has ONU #217 and Husson #227). The obvious conclusion is that the Cardinals should've romped over the Polar Bears, just as they did over Husson the day before; they just didn't show up that day, and the absence of Chang and Bronec was not an excuse that held water because their absence certainly hadn't held back the Cards the day before.

The third loss was to Augustana in Rock Island by 17; it's hard to argue that Chang and Bronec would've made any difference in that game at all. The fourth and fifth losses, which came eleven and eight days ago to IWU and Wheaton, respectively, were instances in which the Cards couldn't close the deal in a tight game. I suppose that you could make the case that the Cards could've really used Chang in the IWU game, since his replacement (Aaron Jones) played poorly, although the fact that the Cards had as many rebounds as did the bigger and deeper Titans militates against Bronec's absence being key. But the farther we get from the losses of Chang and Bronec, the more the validity of the argument in favor of their importance recedes, given how long and how successfully the Cards had played since losing them. And the loss to Wheaton was because the Cards got a big fat dose of Aston Francis (49 points on 17-27 shooting) that was completely Chang-proof.

To sum up, I don't think that you can pin more than one Cards loss on the absence of Chang and Bronec -- and even that's a stretch.

Couple of thoughts on this:

1. I think you aren't looking at the full picture in your assessment of the impact Chang and Bronec had.  Chang, in particular, was often tasked with a more challenging defensive assignment, which is not something that is going to show up in his numbers.

2. Chang was more than a minutes-filler.  He averaged 28 minutes per game during his unfortunately brief senior season, and in the last four games he played, he clocked 33, 31, 31, and 30 minutes.  Todd Raridon has a long track record of trying different combinations early in the season as he figures out what he has to work with, and this left Chang with a few games in the 18-20 minute range early on.  The uptick in minutes after the first few games was actually a return to prior levels, as Chang clocked 36.5 and 32.7 mpg as a sophomore and junior.  I won't argue that he was a primary offensive option as opposed to a role player, but a lot of what he provided was difficult to replace.

Oh, I certainly agree that Chang was a plus defender at the point. But let's not get carried away. In the CCIW games in which he played, he apparently did a very nice job on Nick Penny of Carroll, but he also appeared to struggle against Millikin freshman PG Jack Marinko (who scored 14 in that MU @ NCC game; he averaged 7.7 ppg this season) and he especially struggled against NPU's Kindrel Morris and Izaiah Sanders, both of whom repeatedly beat him off the dribble in NPU's upset win in the hangar.

As for his performances against Aston Francis, I think that that's a bit of an open question. I'll concede that it's possible that he did have somewhat of a dampening effect upon Francis's performances against NCC in previous seasons. But I also think that it's quite possible that he didn't; one of my observations of Aston Francis is that sometimes the person who does the best job of limiting the damage that Aston Francis causes is ... Aston Francis. He sometimes tries to do too much, and both his numbers and Wheaton as a whole suffers for it. I certainly don't blame him for this, as it's a very fine line he has to walk. Mike Schauer talks about it all the time in interviews. When should Francis ease off and get his teammates involved? When should his teammates get the heck out of his way and let him try to take over a ballgame? Sometimes Francis (and/or his teammates) don't read that balance correctly. I watched the 12/15 game at King Arena online (NPU had played earlier that Saturday), and this was definitely the impression of Francis that I got in that game. Again, I'm not throwing shade at Chang here. I'm just saying that it's very likely that the numbers Francis posted in the past against NCC had as much or more to do with Francis himself than anything, and that that's definitely the impression I had in the 12/15 game.

Quote from: kiko on February 17, 2019, 06:56:45 PM3. I don't think Massey tells the full story on the nuances between Husson and Ohio Northern.  ONU had a preseason All-American center (Ryan Bruns), and while his numbers look modest against North Central, his presence was certainly felt in a much more emphatic way than Husson's bigs were -- especially as the Cardinals were ice cold from three and couldn't rely on outside shooting the way they had the previous day.  ONU's struggles this year aside, this is not the profile of a team you want on your schedule as you are trying to figure out how to replace your only back-to-the-basket starter.

As you noted, though, Bruns did not do major damage against NCC. He only had a 12 and 4 game (although he did well in such peripherals as a:to and blocks), far below his season averages of 21.0 and 8.8. The real culprit was ONU's power forward Daniel Donner, who scored 16 (six points above his season average), and, unlike Bruns, Donner is more of a face-the-basket player. In other words, the Polar Bears big whom Bronec is best designed to help guard actually played well below his standards, while the Polar Bears big whom Bronec is less set up to guard went off against the Cardinals. And the poor trey shooting by the Cards that day really doesn't figure into the Chang/Bronec situation, as Chang was 6-22 (.273) this season from beyond the arc (he started out his NCC career as a good trey shooter and got progressively worse each season) and Bronec never shot one from back there in his entire career.

Quote from: kiko on February 17, 2019, 06:56:45 PMAndOne's point that the Cardinals were still figuring out how to play with the new lineup is IMO very valid here; they started Will Clausel in this game as a straight big-for-big replacement for Bronec, and he was only able to see minimal floor time due to foul trouble.  As we've seen, over time the Sons of Warden have settled into a different rotation in which Tommy Koth starts and Clausel comes off the bench.  I think it is very fair to say this is one the losses that the starter injuries impacted.

I'd be more apt to buy this if Clausel was an inexperienced replacement. But he wasn't; he was averaging 17 mpg coming into the ONU contest, which was more floor time than Bronec himself was seeing. I don't think that he got into early foul trouble against ONU because he was seeing the ghost of Jack Bronec looking over his shoulder.

Having watched that game, I think that your earlier explanation is the one that suffices; a North Central team that had blistered the nets from long range the day before against Husson went ice-cold against the Polar Bears. But the Cardinals also missed a ton of bunnies in that game -- the fact that it's been by far the worst offensive performance by the Cards this season had more to do with the Cards' inability to hit open shots, particularly within ten feet of the basket, than it did with ONU's defense. This is perfectly illustrated by the three-footer that Blaise Meredith ganked at the buzzer that would've sent the game into OT (in which the Cards, with Donner having fouled out with 1:41 to go in regulation, likely would've won), a shot that Meredith normally makes in his sleep.

Quote from: kiko on February 17, 2019, 06:56:45 PM4. The other game I think the Cardinals felt the loss of these two was against Wheaton.  Chang had done a tremendous job of keeping Aston Francis from being Aston Francis in the meetings prior to this one.  It doesn't show up in his numbers but was a major factor in the Cardinals' winning streak against Wheaton in recent meetings.  I'm not suggesting Francis would have been held to 18 points or something crazy if Chang were there, but turn that 49 points into 43 and the outcome might have been different.  (And to be clear, i said 'might'.  We'll never know, just as we'll never know what would have happened in North Central's win over Illinois Wesleyan if Tommy Koth wasn't getting extended minutes that enabled him to be Tommy Koth.)

See my thoughts on Francis above. But it's interesting that you mentioned Koth. What hasn't been discussed yet is what North Central gained by losing Chang and Bronec. That sounds counterintuitive (and a bit cruel) because, as I've never denied, both Chang and Bronec were useful CCIW players. But Koth absolutely blossomed once called upon to play a major role for NCC this season in the wake of those injuries. You've already jogged everyone's memory as to the way that he tore up Illinois Wesleyan at Shirk back in January. (I'll bet that Alex O'Neill never forgot it in the first place. ;)) Heck, Koth reprised that 26-point performance in Bloomington with a 24-point game in NCC's loss to IWU eleven days ago. He can't graduate soon enough, as far as Ron Rose is concerned. And, in what must be recognized as NCC"s biggest game of the season last night, what with the Pool C chances of the Hangar Brigade riding on the outcome, he exploded for 23 points against the 'jays at Faganel. Koth finished tenth in the league in trey shooting, but he wasn't just a trey shooter. I've been very impressed by the way that he's attacked the basket, and by how smart and poised a player he seems to be. He plays like a senior is supposed to play, regardless of how much time he's seen throughout his career.

Likewise, Will Clausel and Aaron Jones have emerged as very solid role players for NCC, much as Chang and Bronec were. Both of them have had some very big games for the Cards in January and February, with, again, Clausel's dynamic performance against EC yesterday perhaps topping the list. Clausel probably would've been performing at this overall rate all along, given the minutes he was seeing before Bronec was hurt, but the emergence of Jones is entirely due to the unfortunate injury suffered by Chang.

This sometimes happens. Players who are asked to be "the next man up", to quote the football cliché, turn out to be the next man up. I'd argue that this is very much what happened with Koth and Jones.

Quote from: kiko on February 17, 2019, 06:56:45 PMEven if the two injuries only impacted one or two games that turned into losses, that could be decisive.  It is unusual for a 20-5 CCIW team to be sitting on the bubble rather than safely in from a Pool C standpoint.  I would argue that even with the pedestrian SOS, the conversation would look a lot different if the Sons of Warden sported a 21-4, or, if we are stretching things, 22-3 record.

I'm not denying that at all. We just disagree upon whether or not the presence of Chang and Bronec -- which, let's be honest, would've meant lesser roles for the new-look Tommy Koth as well as Aaron Jones, and perhaps Will Clausel to some small degree -- would've impacted one or two of those narrow losses.

Based on your commentary above, I think you are interpreting a couple of the points I was trying to make a bit differently than what I'd intended.  Rather than belabor them, I'll just note that your POV on this rests on the belief that two missing starters would not have impacted the result of a two-point loss that was decided at the buzzer.  Which seems very much like something other than solid ground.

In any event, back to basketball on Tuesday.  From my red-tinted perspective, I am wanting the Sons of Warden to face (and, of course, defeat) a regionally ranked team in their semifinal round matchup, as any little thing that can boost Pool C credentials is welcomed at this juncture.

GoPerry

Quote from: kiko on February 19, 2019, 01:06:20 AM
From my red-tinted perspective, I am wanting the Sons of Warden to face (and, of course, defeat) a regionally ranked team in their semifinal round matchup, as any little thing that can boost Pool C credentials is welcomed at this juncture.

There you go!   You, and all NCC supporters (including Imitzel, AndOne, and the pbp announcer who butchered Adom's name), have an open invitation to come to King Arena tonight and root on the home team!  Do you have any orange to wear?

lmitzel

Quote from: GoPerry on February 19, 2019, 08:28:54 AM
Quote from: kiko on February 19, 2019, 01:06:20 AM
From my red-tinted perspective, I am wanting the Sons of Warden to face (and, of course, defeat) a regionally ranked team in their semifinal round matchup, as any little thing that can boost Pool C credentials is welcomed at this juncture.

There you go!   You, and all NCC supporters (including Imitzel, AndOne, and the pbp announcer who butchered Adom's name)

Never was I so thankful for having a pronunciation guide ready and waiting at the scorers' table for me, and even then there were a couple "I need to double check this because I don't want to butcher his name" moments.

Quote from: GoPerry on February 19, 2019, 08:28:54 AM
have an open invitation to come to King Arena tonight and root on the home team!  Do you have any orange to wear?

Appreciated, but I'm not wearing orange. Don't think I have anything orange, anyway. Also, Aston Francis gave me nightmares the last time I saw him even though he was super gracious when I congratulated him after the win at NCC.

King Arena is a nice place to watch a game though.
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GoPerry

Elmhurst @ Wheaton:

On a serious note:  For those watching tonight, a prime story line will be how much EC Coach Baines again employs the box and one (with a few variations) on Francis and if Coach Schauer has made the necessary adjustments.  This will no doubt call on someone like Adom, Peters, Anthony or Spencer to step up on offense.  The Thunder had some difficulty with it two weeks ago which held Francis to 22 pts on only 13 shots(although he did hit the game winner).  Jake Rhode did not have a great game either and I expect him to be much more active tonight.  And don't double Jeremy Ireland off Derek Dotlich because he'll kill you from trey.

Once again, it's a game Wheaton needs to have like most are this time of year.