MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[mwunder]

In an ugly scrappy game at the Griz, IWU over MU 53-52.  No one really playing well.

For IWU:
Funk 10 and 7
Colak 9
C. Williams 9
Cleveland 7 and 8

IWU at 36%/33% from three/ only 55% from the FT line

For MU:
Straughter 13
Thomann 12

MU at 40/27/ and 50

A road win is a road win.  Barely. 

IWU moves to 19-4, keeps pace with Carthage for the league lead.  Sometimes better to be lucky than good. 

'70

IWU survived this one after taking the lead 53-50 on a second or third look on an open 3 by Williams.  Straughter had two looks at a game winner but missed the first short, followed his shot and back rimmed the second at the buzzer.  Very surprised that Thomann didn't get the ball in his hands at the end of the game.

Cleveland took a nasty fall after a dunk that stopped play for a few minutes. He just held on to the rim too long and came down on his left side / arm / wrist area.  He returned to make an impact defensively but was clearly bothered on his left side.

[lmitzel]

Carroll 74
NCC 54

Time to order the autopsy in Naperville. After the usual strong early start with a 9-2 run to open the game, the Cardinals went up 10 with about six minutes to go in the first half, and naturally it all fell apart from there. Carroll pulled back within three by halftime, and that momentum carried all the way over into the second half, as a 26-4 Pio run served as the dagger for this one.

Ethan Marlowe: 10 pts, 7 reb
Justin Sveiteris: 10 pts, 5 reb
Tre Davis: 6 pts, 7 reb

Lamar Smith: 16 pts, 9 reb
Peyton McKenna: 15 pts, 6 stl
Michael McNabb: 13 pts, 7 reb

With the loss, NCC is eliminated from postseason play. Not counting the COVID season, this is the first time the Cardinals have missed the CCIW Tournment since 2014.

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst barely eked out an 80-79 win over Wheaton at Faganel, as Reid Olson missed what would've been the game-winner at the buzzer for WC. Dom Trelenberg led the way with 23 and 9 for the hosts, although from the Elmhurst point of view he injected needless drama into the win by missing the front end of a one-and-one not once but twice in the final half-minute of the game. Luke Smith scored 14 and EJ Marshall pumped in 12 for the 'jays. Soren Richardson had quite an interesting night -- 36 points on 11-18 shooting (including 6-10 from downtown), but he also turned the ball over five times and, interestingly got T'ed up for something. That happens to a Wheaton player about once in a blue moon. Carson Grier (21 and 9) was the only other Wheaton player to score more than eight points, although Brady Wynja grabbed seven boards and Olson had a nice 4:0 floor game.

Wheaton is now in a three-way tie for fourth with North Park and Carroll at 6-7, with Augie a game back at 5-8 and Millikin still (barely) alive at 5-9. Wheaton visits the crackerbox on Saturday afternoon, and that sounds like a can't-miss event. Fingers crossed that North Park students turn out in good numbers for that one.

[Stertorous Thunder]

Soren Richardson had quite an interesting night -- 36 points on 11-18 shooting (including 6-10 from downtown), but he also turned the ball over five times and, interestingly got T'ed up for something. That happens to a Wheaton player about once in a blue moon.

The play-by-play announcer (who did a nice job, I thought) was similarly puzzled by the technical, but I'm fairly certain that Richardson was called for accidentally hitting his defender in the face with the ball while pump-faking before taking a shot. I don't know basketball rules well enough but interestingly, Richardson's trey still counted and wasn't negated even though it was enabled by him gaining separation by smacking the defender in the face. I assume that if the foul had been called in real time, the ball would have been turned over to Elmhurst. But since the foul was called based on video review, I guess that's different?

[Gregory Sager]

Soren Richardson had quite an interesting night -- 36 points on 11-18 shooting (including 6-10 from downtown), but he also turned the ball over five times and, interestingly got T'ed up for something. That happens to a Wheaton player about once in a blue moon.

The play-by-play announcer (who did a nice job, I thought) was similarly puzzled by the technical, but I'm fairly certain that Richardson was called for accidentally hitting his defender in the face with the ball while pump-faking before taking a shot. I don't know basketball rules well enough but interestingly, Richardson's trey still counted and wasn't negated even though it was enabled by him gaining separation by smacking the defender in the face. I assume that if the foul had been called in real time, the ball would have been turned over to Elmhurst. But since the foul was called based on video review, I guess that's different?

That sounds pretty bizarre, and not at all the correct call. A technical in live action should immediately result in a dead ball.

[Greek Tragedy]

https://d3datacast.com/npi/

Elmhurst and Carthage hold the last two Pool C bids now.

[iwu70]

Greek, I doubt both of them will make the tournament.  Maybe neither. 

Looking ahead as the season winds down:   I have Noah Cleveland making first team All-CCIW and Funk and Colak making second team.  Cleveland likely the MOP for the year.  IMHO. 

For next year, IWU really only loses Colak and David Williams out of the key players in the rotation.  So much coming back and others stepping up -- especially Connor Williams -- so IWU could be better next year.  (I think Alex Miller will have his chance for a clean dunk in time.    ). Sadly, Boldt did not contribute very much this year.  Fridman returns from injury and all other key pieces are still there.  We don't know yet about newbies.  Kuehl replaces Colak and things move forward . . . in the normal Ron Rose way.  Maybe Brady Ruggles plays a larger role next season.  Danny Kent as well.   Cleveland, Lawrence, Niego, and Funk all returning. 

I look forward to the CCIW tournament and the D3 dance.  Let's hope the CCIW can make some noise in the national tournament. 

IWU'70

[ziggy]

Greek, I doubt both of them will make the tournament.  Maybe neither. 

Yeah, being in hypothetical position now is nice but it's about being there in the end. I don't really like current NPI rankings for setting expectations for the future.

Good chance the CCIW will be a multi-bid league but it pretty much comes from equal chances of someone other than IWU winning the conference tournament and IWU wins it with either Carthage or Elmhurst claiming an at-large berth.

In our run of rest of season simulations this morning, Carthage got an at-large bid 46.4% of the time they needed one, 11.1% of the time for Elmhurst. The CCIW averaged 1.89 bids in those simulations so it is looking like IWU plus Carthage OR Elmhurst.

https://d3datacast.com/npi/mbb-projections/

[iwu70]

Ziggy, that sounds more like it to me . . . IWU and Carthage. 

'70

[Greek Tragedy]

To be fair, I never implied they would both make it. I was simply saying they were both currently within the 21 Pool C bids today. Even without playing today, that could change tomorrow.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 95
Wheaton 92

Mike Vuckovic: 24 pts (8-8 FT)
Kolden Vanlandingham: 23 pts, 7:2 a:to
William Bates: 16 pts
Dylan Fuzak: 7 rebs
Marquis Vance: 3 stls

Soren Richardson: 29 pts
Kyan VanderWoude: 23 pts
Carson Grier: 16 pts, 4 stls
Brady Wynja: 10 pts, 12 rebs

Not exactly a CCIW classic -- not enough defense played by either team for it to qualify for that moniker -- but a thrilling, back-and-forth affair nevertheless by two teams who were obviously well aware of what was at stake today. Two key plays in this one: Tyvin Garrison, who otherwise was quiet all day, knocked down a trey in the corner off of a Vanlandingham kickout with 61 seconds left that took NPU from being down one to being up two; and Reid Olson missing a trey at the corner with five seconds left and the Vikes up by  only two. Brady Wynja, standing under the basket, got the offensive rebound but pulled it down too far, knocking it off of Vanlandingham's thigh and into KV's hands. Two standing-right-next-to-each-other, edge-of-the-endline passes later it was in hands of Lazario Cornish, who proceeded to make a FT with three seconds left to push the lead up to three. The Vikings committed a foul immediately upon Wheaton's inbound in an attempt to send a Wheaton player to the line for two fruitless FTs (Dylan Fuzak pulled down Wynja at halfcourt), but it wasn't called, so Olson did get off a halfcourt shot to tie ... but, fortunately for the Vikings, he front-rimmed it.

Wheaton's losing streak is now at five, and I feel for them. Been there, done that, not too long ago. Their three-point shooting continues to betray them, as they only went 3-21 from downtown today. NPU, by contrast, had the hot hand from deep, shooting .500 from beyond the arc in both halves.

Fun to watch Vanlandingham and Soren Richardson, two of the decade's best CCIW players, go mano-a-mano in this one.

[Gregory Sager]

Carroll keeps pace with the Vikings in the fourth-place tie by beating Millikin, 76-68, in the Griz. Michael McNabb led the way for CU with 24, while Lamer Smith had 19, Evan Bland 14, and Jacob Naber 10. For the Big Blue, Lane Thomann had 26 and Nate Straughter scored 14, with Tionne Spates pulling down seven boards for a Millikin team that is now at the edge of being eliminated from postseason contention.

[GoPerry]

North Park 95
Wheaton 92

Mike Vuckovic: 24 pts (8-8 FT)
Kolden Vanlandingham: 23 pts, 7:2 a:to
William Bates: 16 pts
Dylan Fuzak: 7 rebs
Marquis Vance: 3 stls

Soren Richardson: 29 pts
Kyan VanderWoude: 23 pts
Carson Grier: 16 pts, 4 stls
Brady Wynja: 10 pts, 12 rebs

Not exactly a CCIW classic -- not enough defense played by either team for it to qualify for that moniker -- but a thrilling, back-and-forth affair nevertheless by two teams who were obviously well aware of what was at stake today. Two key plays in this one: Tyvin Garrison, who otherwise was quiet all day, knocked down a trey in the corner off of a Vanlandingham kickout with 61 seconds left that took NPU from being down one to being up two; and Reid Olson missing a trey at the corner with five seconds left and the Vikes up by  only two. Brady Wynja, standing under the basket, got the offensive rebound but pulled it down too far, knocking it off of Vanlandingham's thigh and into the hands of Lazario Cornish, who proceeded to make a FT with three seconds left to push the lead up to three. The Vikings forgot to foul immediately and send a Wheaton player to the line, so Olson did get off a halfcourt shot to tie ... but, fortunately for the Vikings, he front-rimmed it.

Wheaton's losing streak is now at five, and I feel for them. Been there, done that, not too long ago. THeir three-point shooting continues to betray them, as they only went 3-21 from downtown today. NPU, by contrast, had the hot hand from deep, shooting .500 from beyond the arc in both halves.

Fun to watch Vanlandingham and Soren Richardson, two of the decade's best CCIW players, go mano-a-mano in this one.

Yes. Another brutal close loss for the Thunder. And the second game in a row where Richardson played great, but decided to pass on taking the critical shot on the last possession.  Both were to Olson who missed (and badly tonight) but that's besides the point. 

Tonight he had the ball in his hands, fairly close to the lane where he made several easy post ups earlier, with a few seconds left needing a hoop to tie, and didn't want to take it for some reason.  Wednesday's against Elmhurst was even more obvious since he had a clear lane to the basket but dished off.  Pretty odd for your best player to pass on taking that key bucket in the closing seconds.

Wheaton is racing Augustana to the bottom of the standings and that sixth spot.  Losing 5 in a row in February is generally discouraged.

[Gregory Sager]

For the second time this week Augustana lost at home on an opponent's layup with two seconds left. On Wednesday it was Kolden Vanlandingham of NPU who stuck in the dagger, and this afternoon it was Ryan Johnson's turn to deal Augie the death blow, as Carthage kept pace with Illinois Wesleyan at the top of the standings -- and Augie fell dangerously close to being unable to control its own destiny -- with a 75-73 Firebirds win at Carver. Cam Atkinson did get off a shot in the paint for Augie at the buzzer, but it didn't go in.

Johnson had 15 and 7 for the Flaming Avians, one point off of Riley Brooks's pace (16 and 11 from him). Jabe Haith had 13 off the bench, Antuan Nesbitt scored a dozen, and AJ Williams pumped in 10 for Carthage, which was without the services of AJ Johnson this afternoon. Griffin Daun grabbed seven boards for the Firebirds. Augustana was led by Andre Klaver, who scored 18 (including 9-9 from the FT line); Dom Rhodes, who had 16 and four steals; Marieon Anderson, who racked up 13; and Jake Willems, who had a 12 and 9 day.

Is anybody besides me irritated with the fact that Augustana is downloading what appears to be scout-tape footage to CCIW Network for archiving? This is at least two straight games now that Augie has done that. It's difficult to follow a game that has no score bug or scoreboard insert, no play-by-play, and cuts off early. This game cut off in the middle of a timeout.

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst goes into the hangar this evening and comes away with a 66-57 win at the expense of their fellow DuPage songbirds. The Bluejays collected 15 and 8 from Vinnie Adjahoungbeta, 15 as well from Luke Smith, and 13 from Sebastian Blachut, while Aidyn Boone did the dirty work with 13 boards and four steals. James Bullock had a whale of a game in the losing cause for North Central with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks, and Alejandro Diaz chipped in a dozen points, but the offense just wasn't there for the Cardinals, who were an anemic 35% from the field and 17% (3-18) from downtown.