MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Looks like your team and mine each have shots at adding on a few games once we get to the end.

I am trying not to get ahead of myself on this.  If the Bears can go 1-1 against Rochester and Emory this weekend and move to 6-2 overall, I think the rest will work out.

As much as I am gratefully appreciative of their ability to translate my anxiety into numbers , I don't know if having Drew Pasteur and Matt Snyder around to mathematically chronicle everybody's path to a possible Pool C berth is making me more nervous or less nervous. It's been a long time since I've been used to February butterflies, because in the one really solid season that NPU's had over the past three decades (the 2016-17 CCIW co-champions) it was obvious after Juwan Henry missed four CCIW games and most of a fifth due to a knee sprain that the Vikings had to win the Pool A bid to get in ... so there was no point in biting my nails over Pool C projections.

[WUPHF]

I don't know if having Drew Pasteur and Matt Snyder around to mathematically chronicle everybody's path to a possible Pool C berth is making me more nervous or less nervous.

Dude, I know!  Does Juwan Henry ever come to campus for a game.  That guy was so good.

[Gregory Sager]

I don't know if having Drew Pasteur and Matt Snyder around to mathematically chronicle everybody's path to a possible Pool C berth is making me more nervous or less nervous.

Dude, I know!  Does Juwan Henry ever come to campus for a game.  That guy was so good.

Saw Juwan with the rest of the '17 guys last year after they scrimmaged the then-current Vikings varsity in the preseason. I haven't seen him at any games this season, although his former teammates Colin Lake and T.J. Cobbs have been to one or two.

[Mr. Ypsi]

OT:  Seeing my parents' decline physically and observing others of the older generation, I all too frequently these days tell people that "stairs are the enemy of the elderly."  'Twas extremely difficult for Dad to accept that moving out of the house in Mpls was in his best interest.

Shine on, Mr. Ypsi!

I haven't felt the need to move, but did have a chairlift installed a few months ago - going up was not a problem, but going down had gotten rather scary!

Mine goes faster down then up.  You will get use to it.

I was talking about walking up and down (going up you can better see where you're going and even if you stumble you will probably stumble up - going down was getting much trickier).  With my chair lift I don't detect any difference between going up or going down - either way it is 'kinda' fun, but I don't think would be much of a hit at Cedar Point!

[GoPerry]

OT:  Seeing my parents' decline physically and observing others of the older generation, I all too frequently these days tell people that "stairs are the enemy of the elderly."  'Twas extremely difficult for Dad to accept that moving out of the house in Mpls was in his best interest.

Shine on, Mr. Ypsi!

I haven't felt the need to move, but did have a chairlift installed a few months ago - going up was not a problem, but going down had gotten rather scary!

Mine goes faster down then up.  You will get use to it.

I was talking about walking up and down (going up you can better see where you're going and even if you stumble you will probably stumble up - going down was getting much trickier).  With my chair lift I don't detect any difference between going up or going down - either way it is 'kinda' fun, but I don't think would be much of a hit at Cedar Point!

If you live long enough . . . you get old

[USee]

I definitely fall down faster than I get up FWIW.

[mr_b]

OT at the Crackerbox, Millikin and North Park tied at 72.

[USee]

Wheaton 74
Augie 72

Wheaton survives in Rock Island

[USee]

Millikin outlasts NP in Chicago in OT

[kiko]

In Waukesha:

North Central 90, Carroll 86 (OT)

The Sons of Warden walked to the precipice tonight, the flames lapping at their feet, stared Dante Paradiso in the eye, and said 'maybe next time, but not tonight'.

That being said, this:

I know I repeat myself, but: the Cardinals simply are not good at closing teams out this year.  They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Aurora, against Platteville, against Augustana, and now today.  There's too much talent on this team for it to be 10-9 overall and sub-.500 in the conference, but here we are.

remains unequivocally true.  The Cardinals led by 9 at the five minute mark in regulation before Carroll clawed back and forced overtime on Eckahelo Simpson's tip in at the buzzer.  Matt Helwig finally said 'enough of this' and scored 14 of his 34 on the night in the extra frame on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor.  North Central was fortunate that Carroll is fairly undermanned this year, and the Pios were their own worst enemy at the line tonight, hitting just 11 of 22.

There is, as we know, a lot of ritualistic stuff that all players do to support their teammates during a game, including an array of high fives and other hand slaps following a stoppage of play.  Perhaps the most amusing moment of the night came after John Blumeyer was fouled in the backcourt in the final seconds of OT.  He and the trailing official were the final two to mosey toward the line for his FTs, and when the official held out his hand for the ball, well, he got an absent-minded congratulatory hand slap, then (after again holding out an outstretched hand) the ball.

North Central:
Matt Helwig 34 and 7
Shea Cupples 22 and 6
Mitch Lewis 16 in 19 minutes before fouling out
John Blumeyer 12
Erikas Gurskas played well in extended action tonight; 7 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench

No Nick Smoldt for the Cardinals tonight.

Carroll:
Aaron Wafford 24
Justin Steinike 18 and 5
Eckahelo Simpson 15 and 5
Ethan Balinao 11

[GoPerry]

Wheaton over Augustana 74-72 at Carver

Eli Considine    22 pts , 5 rebs
Tyson Cruickshank, 20 pts, 4 rebs
TJ Askew    15 and 6

Colt Gillingham   12 pts,
Chase Larsen  10 and 8

Another road game in the CCIW where nothing comes easy and the whole night is a battle.  The Thunder are fortunate to come out with the win.  Cruickshank was in foul trouble all night and only played 27 mins, 9 below his average.  But he did come on and make some big baskets late in the 2nd when the teams were trading baskets in a close tied or two point game.  Augie led by as much 4 late in the game.

Considine really stepped up when the team needed some offense while Cruickshank was on the bench. 

The Vikes played most of the game without Daniel Carr who went down injured in the first 10 mins of the game.

[Gregory Sager]

OT final from the crackerbox:

Millikin 86
North Park 79

Kolden Vanlandingham: 28 pts
Shamar Pumphrey: 18 pts, 6:1 a:to
Adam Bulwa: 14 pts
Quillin Dixon: 3 stls

JT Welch: 18 pts (4-5 trey)
Trent Champagne: 13 pts
Demarcus Bond: 12 pts, 10 rebs
Jaden McClain: 11 pts, 7 rebs
Frazier Ott: 10 pts
Noah Livingston: 8 rebs

Nothing but praise from me for the way Millikin played tonight. Every time that NPU went on a run and looked like it was going to find that extra gear that we've seen from the Vikes so often, the Big Blue came up with a run of its own to hold off the Park. North Park came back from 16 down to tie the game ... Millikin answered. North Park went on a 10-0 run in the latter stages of the second half to turn a 60-54 deficit into a 64-60 lead ... Millikin answered. North Park jumped out to a 79-74 lead in overtime ... Millikin answered by scoring the last 12 points of the game.

A lot of things I could point to for the NPU end -- lousy FT shooting (17-30, .567), far too much reliance on the trey when they were successfully getting to the rim (10-38 from downtown for .263), but really the bottom line is that Millikin, a team loaded with underclassmen, played like a bunch of seniors tonight and deserved to win the game.

Disappointing, and made even more disappointing by Wheaton's close win at Augie tonight.

[kiko]

Millikin outlasts NP in Chicago in OT

One thing the Millikin announcers mentioned on Saturday that had not been on my radar because of how one-sided the first Red-Blue meeting was this year is just how close the Big Blue have played just about everyone in the conference.  At the time this comment was made, Millikin was 2-8, but you would expect a few more empty-the-bench games than they've played:

Lost by 2 vs North Park, 64-62
Lost by 10 at Augustana, 68-58
Lost by 3 vs Carthage, 70-67
Won by 1 vs Carroll, 74-73
Lost by 11 vs Elmhurst, 70-59
Lost by 4 vs. Wheaton, 65-61
Lost by 5 at Illinois Wesleyan, 73-68
Lost by 24 at North Central, 72-48
Won by 6 vs. Augustana, 79-73
Lost by 2 at Elmhurst, 75-73
Won by 3 vs. North Central, 73-70
Won by 7 in OT at North Park, 86-79

Essentially 11 of the Big Blue's 14 CCIW games have been decided by one or two possessions, or in OT.

[npcballboy]

Does NP have an actual offense? Or is it, let's get a steal and see what happens?

[iwu70]

EC over IWU by 10 at The Shirk. 

Was tied with four minutes to go, when IWU found ways to deliver TOs, fouls on a three point shot that went in, and poor shot selection down the stretch.  EC converted their FTs in the double bonus.  A frustration T again by Cody Mitchell.   Stupid fouls earlier.  Curtains.

IWU played poorly the last 2-3 minutes.  They play now in the 60s, not the high 70s, so just don't have the offensive firepower necessary this year. 

And, to think they beat Elmhurst quite easily earlier in the season.   

IWU needs to be careful or they won't make the CCIW tournament.   I've said this before . . . believe it.   

'70