MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[lmitzel]

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

A buddy of mine made the trip up to Waukesha and was texting me during the contest and I also had it up on my phone during the second half of the women’s matchup at the hangar. Kinda frustrated that it took overtime, but maybe they needed an ugly win to get the ship righted. Certainly helps to have an All American caliber guy that can go into “Enough of this” mode when you need him to.

NCC sits at 6-6 in conference and gets the other three teams in the log jam of 3rd-6th place at the hangar in the next two weeks (plus a trip to Wheaton to break it up). Won’t be easy but I’d rather have them playing those games with me watching from just off center court.

[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!

If you live long enough . . . you get old

My philosophy is "getting old is a bitch - but it beats the alternative."

[Gregory Sager]

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

Yeah, right. NPU got to 16-4 this season without having an offense.

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.

I mentioned in my recap that Millikin is a team loaded with underclassmen. The pattern of losing close games is a typical one for a talented team that simply lacks sufficient game experience.

Millikin's best players tonight were:

Jaden McClain (Fr): Great ballhandler with nice quickness and the icewater in his veins you love to see in a young PG.
JT Welch (So): Hit the dagger trey in OT tonight. A 38% shooter from downtown with nice three-level touch who can drive a little, too. Played in every game for MU as a frosh last season, so he's already a vet.
Frazier Ott (So): Not a dominating 6'8 big, but a smart, sure-handed 6'8 big, for real. Smart bigs like Ott can take you a long way.
Nate Straughter (Fr): Scored 19, 19, and 22 in his last three games coming into tonight. This kid's got "future star" written all over him.
Demarcus Bond (Jr): Proven do-everything player who had a double-double tonight and made a bunch of really big midrange shots and eight-foot floaters.
Trent Champagne (Jr): D2 transfer who really sparked MU off of the bench tonight.
Noah Livingston (So): Tough workhorse who went in and grabbed just about every big weak-side rebound from his guard position late in regulation and throughout OT.
Drake Stevenson (So): MU's best rebounder and a key ingredient in the win over NPU.

They looked tonight like they're figuring out how to win close games in this league. They could be pretty scary in 2023-24.

[Gregory Sager]

Another thing I want to point out is how impressed I was with the game plan and the game management of MU head coach Kramer Soderberg. Everything he drew up before the game, from the midcourt ball screens by his bigs to disrupt NPU's disruption, to the constant diet of elbow upscreens and downscreens to free up JT Welch, to the two-up press falling back into a 1-2-2 in the halfcourt to slow up the Vikings when they started increasing the pace of the game in the late going, worked. Our commentator Aaron Coleman mentioned a few times on the air that Soderberg did a great job of game-planning. Soderberg also managed to squeeze every last useful ounce of playing time out of Nate Straughter before he fouled out (as talented as he is, like a lot of freshmen Straughter's prone to picking up unnecessary fouls), and Soderberg did a great job of subbing Welch and Jaden McClain in and out strategically.

Both Soderberg and Sean Smith basically sidelined their starting centers down the stretch and through OT, going with the backup big who was playing better (Adam Bulwa for NPU, Frazier Ott for MU) and having success with the decision.

The CCIW has had an unusual amount of head-coach turnover in the past few seasons, but make no mistake -- this is still a coach's league. Bosko Djurickovic, Grey Giovanine, and Todd Raridon may be gone, but the next generation of CCIW head coaches is more than capable of stepping into their shoes and carrying on the tradition.

[USee]

Millikin has young talent for sure, but that was a bad loss in terms of post season aspirations. Millkin was 0-4 on the road in the CCIW before last night.

With regards to the outlook using the Q formula of +1 for a road win and -1 for a home loss, the status is as follows:

Wheaton +5 with 3 home games/4 road games left
NPU +2 with one home game/4 road games left
Elmhurst +1 with 3 home games/2 road games left
NCC +1 with 3 home games/1 road game left
Carthage 0 with 2 home games/3 road gams left
Augie -1 with 2 home games/2 road games left
IWU -1 with 2 home games/3 road games left
Millikin -3 with 1 home game/3 road games left
Carroll -4 with 3 home games/2 road games left

Wheaton is in the drivers seat to host the CCIW tourney with only a road trip to Elmhurst remaining among 3 home games. NPU has only 1 home game left vs IWU (away at Elm, Carth, Augie). NPU was on the bubble (in) for a pool C and the loss last night likely moved them to bubble (out). Some work left to do for these teams.

[Gregory Sager]

Millikin has young talent for sure, but that was a bad loss in terms of post season aspirations.

File that under "Obvious Statement of the Day".

Millkin was 0-4 on the road in the CCIW before last night.

Any loss would've been a bad loss at this stage of the season for NPU. And Millikin's lack of success on the road in the CCIW is not indicative of where that team is at right now, as Kiko and I pointed out.

With regards to the outlook using the Q formula of +1 for a road win and -1 for a home loss, the status is as follows:

Wheaton +5 with 3 home games/4 road games left
NPU +2 with one home game/4 road games left
Elmhurst +1 with 3 home games/2 road games left
NCC +1 with 3 home games/1 road game left
Carthage 0 with 2 home games/3 road gams left
Augie -1 with 2 home games/2 road games left
IWU -1 with 2 home games/3 road games left
Millikin -3 with 1 home game/3 road games left
Carroll -4 with 3 home games/2 road games left

Wheaton is in the drivers seat to host the CCIW tourney with only a road trip to Elmhurst remaining among 3 home games. NPU has only 1 home game left vs IWU (away at Elm, Carth, Augie).

I've already mentally conceded the #1 seed to Wheaton, because I don't see NPU making up that one-game deficit by outplaying Wheaton given the four games each has left, and because in the event of a co-championship it would likely require Elmhurst to move ahead of Carthage by a game in the final standings for NPU to slide into the #1 seed, and that's yet another wrinkle that's out of the hands of the Park, because the Vikings have to beat both Carthage and Elmhurst.

NPU was on the bubble (in) for a pool C and the loss last night likely moved them to bubble (out). Some work left to do for these teams.

The Pool C experts don't see it that way. They seem to think that the Vikings will be on the right side of the bubble as long as they don't lose another game before the end of the regular season. I'm going with them on this.

[Next Man Up]

Despite the fact that many players do it on an almost constant basis, we rarely see "carrying" the ball called.

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/pantagraph.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/18/c18c3200-8bdc-11ed-813a-63345a057f68/63b4ed29712b5.image.jpg?resize=990%2C634

Here is a perfect example of the violation that officials appear to be unable to see, or just plain choose to ignore.

[USee]

NPU was on the bubble (in) for a pool C and the loss last night likely moved them to bubble (out). Some work left to do for these teams.

The Pool C experts don't see it that way. They seem to think that the Vikings will be on the right side of the bubble as long as they don't lose another game before the end of the regular season. I'm going with them on this.

Well, Drew has NPU as the very bottom of Bubble "In" with very little separating the Vikings from "out". I hope he's right but it's clearly pretty close with little margin for error.

[Gregory Sager]

Despite the fact that many players do it on an almost constant basis, we rarely see "carrying" the ball called.

https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/pantagraph.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/18/c18c3200-8bdc-11ed-813a-63345a057f68/63b4ed29712b5.image.jpg?resize=990%2C634

Here is a perfect example of the violation that officials appear to be unable to see, or just plain choose to ignore.

How do we know that that's mid-dribble, though? Williams could've been gathering the ball to pass it or shoot it. Taken in isolation, that photo really tells us nothing.

NPU was on the bubble (in) for a pool C and the loss last night likely moved them to bubble (out). Some work left to do for these teams.

The Pool C experts don't see it that way. They seem to think that the Vikings will be on the right side of the bubble as long as they don't lose another game before the end of the regular season. I'm going with them on this.

Well, Drew has NPU as the very bottom of Bubble "In" with very little separating the Vikings from "out". I hope he's right but it's clearly pretty close with little margin for error.

In Drew we trust!

[USee]

Q's tweet on Pool C:

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1621215589330026498?s=20&t=vHislu4DLYMQDr1qvbELDw

"Remember, every szn there are about 4 major upsets where assumed Pool As steal Pool Cs.  So if you are about #15 or lower on Drew's list, you aren't in good shape.

For example, NPU is now #16."

[markerickson]

Consistently chucking up a trey instead of making the extra pass would be considered an offensive play.  Check.
Consistently chucking up the trey during a poor shooting night from that distance would be considered an offensive play.  Check.
Being selfish and consistently chucking up the trey would be considered an offensive play.  Check.
Thinking of chucking up a trey while being guarded with mere seconds left in a tied game with no shot attempt.  Check.
Overreliance on the trey.  Check.
Millikin.  Check mate.

[Gregory Sager]

Q's tweet on Pool C:

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1621215589330026498?s=20&t=vHislu4DLYMQDr1qvbELDw

"Remember, every szn there are about 4 major upsets where assumed Pool As steal Pool Cs.  So if you are about #15 or lower on Drew's list, you aren't in good shape.

For example, NPU is now #16."

I prefer Drew's read to Bob's read.

Of course, none of this ultimately means anything. If the Vikings get back to winning, they will control their own destiny.

[Pat Coleman]

Can't deny Bob is right, though -- upsets make the Pool C bubble shorter.

[Gregory Sager]

This is the first time that Illinois Wesleyan has lost four straight CCIW games since 2006-07, Ron Rose's first season at the helm in BloNo.

There's no guarantee that the Titans will avoid a fifth-straight loss, either, as Carroll is no gimme. Sometimes this late in the season you can start to see teams with only one or two CCIW wins, or none at all, start to phone it in if their opponent goes on a run. That's not happening this season. Last night the Pioneers had a dry spell of close to eight minutes in the second half in which their 56-54 lead was turned into a 65-56 North Central lead. Frequently, a 4-15, 1-9 team playing a February game will fold its tent right then and there ... but instead the Pioneers rallied and managed to send the game into OT with a buzzer-beating layup. The fact that the Cardinals ended up winning in the extra session doesn't negate the fact that the Pioneers have the moxie to keep their composure and their hustle when the other team makes a run (I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor Jannsen read them the riot act after their second-half debacle against NPU in Van Male last Saturday, and the Pios then took it to heart).

Given IWU's difficulty with putting the ball in the basket, I can definitely see the Pioneers hanging around in Shirk on Saturday and making a game of it.

[GoPerry]

Q's tweet on Pool C:

https://twitter.com/IWUhoopscom/status/1621215589330026498?s=20&t=vHislu4DLYMQDr1qvbELDw

"Remember, every szn there are about 4 major upsets where assumed Pool As steal Pool Cs.  So if you are about #15 or lower on Drew's list, you aren't in good shape.

For example, NPU is now #16."

I prefer Drew's read to Bob's read.

Of course, none of this ultimately means anything. If the Vikings get back to winning, they will control their own destiny.

Agree.  If the Vikes win their last four and finish 19-5, which will be quite the feat, post CCIW tourney they'll have at least a .760 W%.  That's usually enough for a Pool C with a strong SOS typical of all CCIW teams.

I would think both Carthage and EC both have to win out their last five games just to get to the bubble.  And they don't play each other.