Augustana 65 IWU 61 (1/30/08)

Well, that one was painful.

From the time IWU got the ball with 2:57 to play, after Justin Bertrand's turnover, up 5 (61-56), here are the next four Titan possessions:

• 2:33 - turnover by Sean Johnson
• 2:14 - Darius Gant shot block by Bertrand
• 1:30 - turnover by Gant
• 0:49 - turnover by Travis Rosenkranz

The Titans did not have a shot get to the rim in the final 3 minutes of the game. Very, very frustrating.

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We saw a veteran team find a way to win, and a young team find a way to lose down the stretch of a pivotal CCIW game.

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On the positive side, it was really an impressive fight by the Titans against a much bigger, stronger, more physical team. The Titans won the rebounding battle, which is amazing to me considering the size disparity. Darius Gant was just a horse out there, pulling down 15 more boards to go along with his 18 huge points. He's really having a good year.

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Also, Sean Johnson's late flurry was impressive. He was a huge reason the Titans were in position to win the basketball game late.

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This one will sting for a couple days, but the good news is that we'll be back at the Shirk Center Saturday night with a chance to pick up a huge win vs Carthage.

Augustana @ IWU (1/30/08)

As Randy Reinhardt wrote in the Pantagraph today,"the big game is returning to Shirk Center." When the season started, who would have thought this game would be a battle of second place teams? It is, and it's certainly an enourmous game in the CCIW standings.

Carthage 5-1
Augustana 4-2
Illinois Wesleyan 4-2
Elmhurst 3-3
Wheaton 3-3
North Park 2-4
North Central 2-4
Millikin 1-5

Carthage should win at home tonight vs North Park to move to 6-1. A Titan victory over Augustana would set up a chance to face the Red Men and earn a share of 1st place. But first things first.

Even after the loss of returning leading scorer Jordan Delp (ruptured achilles), Augie is still a tough team. They're very big in the low post with 6-7/200 Chandlor Collins, 6-9/240 Dain Swetalla, and then 6-6/215 Oliver Rorer and 6-9/236 Dan Rukavina off the bench. They still have a nice starting perimeter trio, with 6-2 point-guard Matt Pelton (7.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.7 apg), 6-2 Iowa transfer Brett Wessels (13.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg), and 6-2 slasher Alex Washington (9.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg). And the Vikings under Grey Giovanine, of course, play some of the best defense in NCAA Division III.

All of that said, Augustana lost at North Park (where the Titans just won), lost at Carthage (where the Titans also lost, in OT), trailed Millikin at halftime in Rock Island, and had some trouble putting North Central away at home Saturday night. Augustana may be the #10-ranked team in the nation, but they're beatable.

The Titans will need to play well tonight to leave the Shirk Center 5-2. Keys:

1) Rebound. The Titans have been out-rebounded 110-75 the last 3 games. They'll have to keep the battle of the very board very close tonight.

2) Make free throws. IWU is a CCIW-worst .609 from the free throw line in league play (70-115). They won't win tonight shooting 61% from the charity stripe.

3) Defend. IWU's defense has been much better since CCIW play started and they'll need another strong defensive effort tonight. I'd expect Sean Dwyer to get the assignment on leading scorer Brett Wessels. It will have to be a team defensive effort vs the Vikings to combat all of that size and strength.

4) Be tough and aggressive. Maybe the most important key to the game. Augustana plays physical and tough - the Titans need to not only match that, they need to be the aggressor.


The big game is back. Hope to see you there.

IWU 57 North Park 55 (1/26/08)

When speaking about CCIW road games, our old friend Scott Trost used to always say the Titans had to "find a way to win." That's just what the guys did Saturday at North Park.

The Titans certainly made some key mistakes in this game, but overall it was a solid performance away from home. And once again, there were several heroes...

* Sean Johnson helped the Titans get out of the gate, scoring 8 1st Half points.

* Brett Chamernik logged another workmanlike performance, finishing with 14 points and 7 rebounds, going 7-7 from the field.

* Travis Rosenkranz had a big 2nd Half, scoring 9 points, after being shutout in the 1st.

To me, the player of the game was freshman Doug Sexauer. Doug scored 7 enormous points from the 6:25 mark to 2:53 in the 2nd half. Most impressively, he was calling for the basketball. After a couple quiet games, it was really great to see Doug step up and lead the way.

Here are the current CCIW standings, as well as the location (home/road) of remaining games:

Carthage (5-1): 4 home/4 road
Augustana (4-2): 3 home/5 road
Illinois Wesleyan (4-2): 5 home/3 road
Elmhurst (3-3): 3 home/5 road
Wheaton (3-3): 5 home/3 road
North Central (2-4): 5 home/3 road
North Park (2-4): 3 home/5 road
Millikin (1-5): 4 home/4 road

What a huge week at home for the Titans -vs Augie Wednesday, and vs Carthage Saturday. We're right in the middle of this thing.

IWU 63 Wheaton 60 (1/23/08)

Just a good, old-fashioned Titan CCIW win at the Shirk Center. That was a heck of an effort by the guys and just a huge game on so many fronts.

You know, most people are going to refer to that one as an "upset", but I don't think it was. I need to see more games play out, but I think there is a good chance that IWU is just simply a better team than Wheaton. The Titans certainly do not have anything remotely resembling superstar Kent Raymond, but they're deeper and more balanced. Wheaton is a 3-man team. After Raymond (22.6 ppg), who is an All-American of course, Wiele (14.3 ppg) and Panner (14.7 ppg) - who are very good), who are very good supporting players, the Thunder just don't have that much. The Titans have 7 players averaging between 6 and 14 points in CCIW play...

Sean Johnson 13.8 (perimeter)
Brett Chamernik 12.3 (post)
Darius Gant 11.3 (post)
Travis Rosenkranz 11.0 (perimeter)
Jordan Morris 9.5 (perimeter)
Sean Dwyer 6.8 (perimeter)
Doug Sexauer 5.8 (post)

IWU has very nice inside/outside balance offensively. On defense, they're getting better - last night was by far their best defensive effort of the season.

If you erase preseason expectations (Wheaton as a "contender" and IWU as the 7th place team out of 8) and just watch the two teams play, I think most would agree that it is at least a push, and if a push, IWU should have won at home last night. And they did. Wheaton will be favored at King Arena on Feb. 16.

Great win. Sean Dwyer's defensive effort last night was one of the best - maybe the best - defensive performances I have ever seen from a Titan. When I came down to the floor to get him for the WJBC postgame show, I told him I was proud of him. I think I spoke for all Titan fans.

Gotta find a way to win at North Park now!

Wheaton, Raymond @ IWU (1/23/08)

For my money, Wheaton's Kent Raymond is the best player in NCAA Division III. The junior from New Palestine, Indiana comes in averaging 22.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. In terms of his court savvy, his hustle and intensity, and Raymond's overall "basketball I.Q.", it's just hard not to enjoy watching him play.

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Last year, Raymond lit the Titans up to the tune of 44 points, including 20-20 from the FT line and 6-9 from 3. Obviously, the Titans have to find a way to somewhat contain the Thunder superstar this evening. The tough part about that is the fact that Wheaton has two other All-CCIW-caliber players in 6-8/230 junior Andy Wiele (15.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg) and 6-3 G/F Ben Panner (14.7 ppg). If you pay too much attention to Raymond, the Thunder can certainly make you pay.

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As good as Raymond and #22-ranked Wheaton is, I think this game is all about the guys in green. The Titans can, and should, win this game if they play well. A few keys:

1) Make Raymond work hard for everything he gets. He's going to get this points, but he's got to expend a ton of energy in doing so.

2) Rebound. The Titans will have to win the rebounding battle this evening to compete.

3) Inside/out. 6-8 Andy Wiele can guard one of IWU's post players in the game (between Gant, Chamernik, and Sexauer), but Wheaton's next biggest player - the guy who plays the 4 - is 6-3/195 Steve Young. The Titans have to exploit the mismatch inside and pound it down there. (Last year Darius had 27 points at home vs Wheaton.) This will open up the perimeter for Rosenkranz, Johnson, Morris, Dwyer, and Schick.

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Every home game in the CCIW is a "must win" if you want to compete for a championship. Right now at 2-2, the Titans are just a game out of first and have a great opportunity tonight to stay in the middle of what looks to be a crazy 2008 race.

Gameday notes and links here

The Titans will need a charged up Shirk tonight. Should be a fun one. (The JV's kick off the night at 5:15pm.)

Conference tournament play-in proposal defeated

Significant news in the CCIW...

http://www.cciw.org/news/Playin_Decision.php

CCIW Presidents Defeat Play-in Proposal for Men’s Basketball Tournament

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Presidents Council, on Tuesday, defeated a proposal from the men’s basketball coaches that would have created a play-in date to determine the four teams who would play in the CCIW men’s basketball tournament. The proposal, supported by the conference athletics directors, would have taken effect during the 2008-09 season.

“For a variety of reasons, the presidents agreed that the proposed format would impact the conference in a negative manner and chose to defeat the play-in date proposal,” CCIW Commissioner Chris Martin said. “The ultimate authority for the operation of all facets of the conference rests with our chief executive officers and, in this case, the group disagreed with the coaches and athletics directors.”

By defeating the proposal, the tournament participants and seeding will continue to be based on the double round robin regular season men’s basketball schedule. The top four teams from the regular season standings will earn the right to play in the conference tournament, which will be held at the site of the regular season champion.

The 2008 CCIW Men’s Basketball Tournament is scheduled for February 29 and March 1 at the site of the regular season champion. The 2008 tournament will be the third such tournament in the history of the CCIW. North Central won the 2005-06 version while Augustana was last year’s champion. The winner of the conference tournament earns the CCIW’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
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The Presidents Council decision is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Remember, if the "play-in" proposal passed, it was not going to be called an 8-team tournament - it was going to be a 4-team tournament with a 4-team play-in. This made no sense to me since the play-in game would not be "exempt" and thus, each school would have to drop one non-conference game to meet the 25 game rule (ie go from 11 non-conference games to 10).

I am in favor of an 8-team tournament that is called an 8-team tournament. If the league won't support that though, I'd rather have it as-is (a 4-team tournament).

The press release makes it sound like the coaches were pushing the play-in. I don't think that was the necessarily the case...at least towards the end. I think last year the coaches pushed for an official 8-team conference tournament, but for some reason the league is not willing to have a different tournament structure for the men and women (and the women don't want an 8-team tourney). So somehow the play-in concept was developed. Once the coaches realized, however, that the extra game wouldn't be exempt, they wanted no part of it. At least that is the impression I've had in talking to coaches - I haven't talked to one yet that was in favor of the play-in. Most want an official 8-team tournament.

So, my guess is that we are going to have a 4-team tournament for years to come. I don't see this changing.

Elmhurst 90 IWU 77

"Size vs quickness...what wins?"

Saturday night, it was size that won. I think everyone at the game came away feeling like the Bluejays were just simply too big and strong for the Titans. Now, IWU can beat that team - and I expect the game at the Shirk Center to look much different - but to do so, the team defense has to be better. You know they're going to be a tough matchup inside, but the Titans will have to do a much better job defending the perimeter next time. The Bluejays were 8-11 (73%) from 3-point range and made numerous mid-range jumpshots as well.

IWU's two consistent problem areas this season have been perimeter defense and free throw shooting. Both were issues again at Elmhurst. I mentioned the defensive issues above. Regarding free throws, the Titans were just 13-25 (52%), which is just not going to get it done in a road CCIW game.

The biggest positive I took away was how hard this IWU team competes. They could have easily been blown out of the gym after it got to 31-13 at the 10:49 mark, but they fought back. They got it to 7 by halftime. Then in the second, after getting down 12, they once again scrapped and clawed and got it all the way down to 3. At no point this season have I ever questioned effort, and I certainly didn't Saturday.

Sean Johnson has a chance to be a special player at IWU. When that kid gets going, he is just an electric scorer. I love his fire out there when he starts heating up and would love to see it for 40 minutes per game. Sean needs to take the floor each night out feeling like he is one of the primary scoring options.

Huge game Wednesday as Wheaton, and one of the best players in NCAA Division III (Kent Raymond), comes to town. The Titans can stay right in the middle of the CCIW race with a victory, and they have a great chance to knock of the Thunder.

IWU @ Elmhurst, 1/19/08

Size vs quickness...what wins? That's what we'll find out tonight at Elmhurst.

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Year-in and year-out, Elmhurst is one of the biggest, strongest teams in the CCIW. As a program, they really commit to the weight room - that is obvious. This year is no exception.

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Elmhurst is led by 6-9/255 beast Brent Ruch (Farmer City - Blue Ridge H.S.), a junior. Other low post players include 6-8/210 senior Jared Hintzsche, 6-5/220 junior Mark Aloisio, and 6-3/225 junior Robert Strzemp. All are well put together young men.

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IWU's two starting low post players, 6-4 Darius Gant and 6-5 Brett Chamernik, are very strong, but they're both very undersized. And 6-7 freshman Doug Sexauer is very thin compared to his Elmhurst counterparts.

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Where the Titans have an advantage is in the quickness department. Starting at the guard position, Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Johnson can really move, and Gant and Chamernik are also quick around the basket. As I see it, the real key tonight is whether or not the Titans can control the tempo and establish a fast pace. The Titans need to get the Bluejays big guys running the floor. I don't think there is anyway IWU can win a slowed down, halfcourt type of game. Elmhurst may be so concerned about this they play some zone. If so, the Titans will have to knock down 3's.

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The guys could really use a huge Titan crowd there tonight. It should be fun.

IWU 62 Millikin 47

A really nice road win by the Titans, and the great thing about it is that defense led the way...yes, defense! It was great to see the intensity on that end of the floor all night long.

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Some thoughts...

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1) Darius Gant has really become a rebounding machine. He is averaging 13.3 boards per game in CCIW play, which leads the league. (Wheaton's 6-8 Andy Wiele is second at 11.0 per game.) Darius is undersized under the hoop, but he makes up for that with strength, athleticism, and toughness. His emergence as a consistence presence on both ends of the floor has been huge for the Titans.

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2) Travis Rosenkranz played his best game as a Titan. He didn't score as many points as he did at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (18) or Illinois College (20), but in terms of being IWU's floor general in a big game on the road, he was just great. T's stat line was one we'd love to see every night out: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists. The kid is really settling in and playing with a ton of poise.

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3) Brett Chamernik continues to be solid - 12 points and 6 rebounds. I hope some of the youngsters like Doug Sexauer, Edmond O'Callaghan, and Duncan Lawson emulate Brett's work ethic in their IWU careers. Bottom line, hard work pays off.

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4) Defense! How 'bout holding the Big Blue to 47 points and 36% from the field?! Again, it was great to see.

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Elmhurst is fresh off a huge home loss to Carthage - they'll be playing with their backs against the wall. The Titans head up looking to steal one on the road and get in the middle of the CCIW race. It should really be one of those special Titan road game atmospheres....Titan Nation, make plans for Saturday in Elmhurst.

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Note, the game is at 8:30pm.

IWU @ Millikin

The game at Millikin is always a fun one. The Big Blue draw terribly for men's basketball, but the Wesleyan game is the one where everyone comes out -- and they pull down the east bleachers instead of that "big blue" curtain that hangs there the other 6 home conference games. It will be a good atmosphere in Decatur tonight.

Here are your matchup notes and key links...

http://www.iwuhoops.com/notes08.htm

There is no reason to think this won't be a great game - Millikin is pretty dangerous with that sophomore trio of 6-8 Rexroade, 6-7 Ott, and 6-7 Demby...and junior transfer Tunde Ogunleye (Keystone College) is a player.

I look at this as a must win if the Titans want to make a legimate push towards a 4th place finish.
Go Titans!

Ron Rose Show

The 2007-08 Ron Rose Show debuts tonight at Cheek's Bar & Grill in Towanda Plaza, Bloomington. On-air time is 6:00pm.

Come out to Cheek's - if you can't make it, listen online!

Heartbreaker in Kenosha

That one hurt. The Titans were oh so close to securing a great road victory in the CCIW, but they just couldn't quite close it out.

An amazing flurry led by freshmen put the Titans in position to win the game. In the 2nd half, Sean Johnson had 14 points (include a 26-foot bomb), Doug Sexauer 10, and Travis Rosenkranz 5. The run was capped off by a Rosenkranz 3-pointer at the 2:59 mark to make it 68-65 Titans.

The Titans had 3 offensive possessions in regulation after that with Carthage switching to a zone:

2:31 (up 3 pts) - turnover (travel) by Darius Gant
1:39 (up 2 pts) - missed jumpshot by Travis Rosenkranz with the shot clock running out
0:28 (up 1 pt) - turnover (pass attempt) by Matt Schick with the shot clock running out

The Titans had 3 chances to hit the dagger, but only came away with one shot attempt - a fall away 12 footer from Rosenkranz. This stretch is ultimately where the game was lost. I sensed hesitancy from the young players on the floor to take the big shot.

General thoughts on the game...

* Overall, this was an impressive performance by the Titans. I'm sure it really stung the guys to lose this one, but I do think they gained valuable experience, and most importantly confidence, in the first ever CCIW road game for many of these players.

* Darius Gant was just a horse on the boards - 17 rebounds. Darius has had a good season so far and the Titans need him to be a low post force in the final 12 CCIW games.

* Watching Sean Johnson, Doug Sexauer, Travis Rosenkranz, Matt Schick, and Sean Dwyer play makes me realize that the future of llinois Wesleyan basketball is very bright.

The game at Millikin Wednesday is an absolute must-win if the Titans want to make a legitimate push for a conference tournament spot...and the Big Blue are pretty good.

IWU @ Carthage

Some intriguing matchups in the IWU/Carthage game...

http://www.iwuhoops.com/notes08.htm

Both teams have matchup problems. I'm not sure how Carthage will be able to guard both IWU posts in the game (between Gant/Chamernik/Sexauer). The Red Men basically start four guards, with 6-4 Billy Shemerdiak the biggest. I can't see him being able to handle the post that 6-7 Neb Franciskovic isn't on.

On the other side, I have no idea how the Titans will stop Steve Djurickovic. 6-3/195 Jordan Morris did a fantastic job on Wash U's Tyler Nading, who plays a little like 6-3/170 Djurickovic, but is 6-7/210. Nading isn't nearly as quick though. If Morris and 6-4 Matt Schick get the assignment tonight, they'll really have their work cut out for them.

Seems like both sides might try a little zone...will be interesting to see the X's and O's play out.

One final note on Carthage freshman Steve Djurickovic. Through 11 games, he is 88-112 (.786) from the FT line. Those free throw attempt numbers are absolutely amazing for a freshman. Consider the senior year FTA numbers for these former great CCIW players who got to the line a bunch:

Drew Carstens (Augustana '04): 127-156 (.814) - 25 games
Korey Coon (IWU '00): 157-163 (.963) - 25 games
Bryan Crabtree (IWU '97): 209-248 (.843) - 30 games

As seniors, Carstens averaged 6.2 FTA per game...Coon 6.5...Crabtree 8.3. As a freshman, Djurickovic is averaging 10.2. That is really something.

Hope a lot of you can make it up to Kenosha tonight...this would be a big one to win. If you can't make it, see this page for audio and live stats links. Go Titans!

IWU 68 North Central 59

A nice start to the conference season for the Titans. This was a team win and a game where several players played a key role in the victory.

Looking back at the keys to the game I outlined on Wednesday...

1) Perimeter defense - can't allow the open looks that most non-conference opponents enjoyed.

2) Guard play - the Titans need good, solid games from freshmen Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Johnson in their first CCIW contest. Both need to be aggressive and look to score...and both need to minimize turnovers.

3) Feed the post - Darius Gant, Brett Chamernik, and Doug Sexauer should have plenty of opportunities to score vs an undersized NCC team. The offense needs to go through the big guys first.

4) 40 minutes of intensity - no lulls...time to get after it from opening tip to final buzzer.


1) The Titans played, by far, their best perimeter defense of the season. North Central came in a 42% 3-point shooting team, which is outstanding. IWU held them to 4-21 (19%) from beyond the arc. I thought Travis Rosenkranz, Sean Johnson, and Sean Dwyer all played good defense, but the guy who stood out to me was Jordan Morris. J Mo really got after on the defensive end last night.

2) IWU's starting guard duo scored 19 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and most importantly dished out 13 assists to just 4 turnovers. Sean Johnson didn't have a great shooting night (1-5 from 3), but I will take my chances on those looks he was getting any game. And I would take this combined line from Travis and Sean every time out.

3) Gant, Chamernik, and Sexauer were a combined 11-20 from the field. The perimeter players took 32 shots. Ideally, it'd be best to have more of the FGA coming from the big guys, but you have to take what the defense is giving you. NCC packed in a zone for a majority of the 2nd half and gave the Titans wide open 3-point looks. Again, I can live with good shooters taking open jump shots every night out. Still, it is important for this team to play inside-out, as opposed to the opposite.

4) The Titans had a stretch in the 2nd half where they weren't knocking down shots, but I never questioned their intensity level at all Wednesday night. I thought the crowd helped provide some great energy, and the guys fed off of that. The Titans played very hard in that win.


Now, North Central looks like a shaky team to me. Let's not make too much of that one. Saturday in Kenosha will be a much tougher ballgame.

Let's steal one on the road.

NCC @ IWU

Well, here we go. The Titans (6-5) begin conference play this evening as they host the North Central Cardinals (6-5). Here are some matchup notes.

A huge factor in this game is whether or not 6-5 junior low post player Chris Drennan (18.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg) will play. Most indications are that he won't, but on Monday the Daily Herald reported that NCC "hopes to have injured top scorer and rebounder Chris Drennan back for Wednesday's CCIW opener against Illinois Wesleyan." Drennan broke his shooting hand in practice on December 5.

With or without Drennan, tonight's game is all about the Titans - they'll beat the Cardinals if they play well and they'll lose if they don't. Keys:

1) Perimeter defense - can't allow the open looks that most non-conference opponents enjoyed.

2) Guard play - the Titans need good, solid games from freshmen Travis Rosenkranz and Sean Johnson in their first CCIW contest. Both need to be aggressive and look to score...and both need to minimize turnovers.

3) Feed the post - Darius Gant, Brett Chamernik, and Doug Sexauer should have plenty of opportunities to score vs an undersized NCC team. The offense needs to go through the big guys first.

4) 40 minutes of intensity - no lulls...time to get after it from opening tip to final buzzer.


Looking forward to seeing a large, charged-up Shirk Center crowd. Need to get this one.

If you can't make it, join us on WJBC and follow IWU's live stats.

College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin

Wednesday marks the beginning of the 62nd season of basketball in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, one of the nation's premier small college leagues. The all-time men's basketball standings through 2006-07 are (league play only):

Illinois Wesleyan 624-231 (.730) - 27 titles

Augustana 502-352 (.588) - 11 titles

Wheaton 427-332 (.563) - 8 titles

North Park 354-318 (.527) - 6 titles

Millikin 440-415 (.515) - 9 titles

Lake Forest* 85-112 (.432)

Carthage 314-430 (.422) - 4 titles

Illinois College* 28-41 (.406)

North Central 331-524 (.387) - 4 titles

Elmhurst 298-472 (.387) - 1 title

Carroll* 187-364 (.339)

* no longer in conference

The CCIW has six Division III national championships:

1978 North Park

1979 North Park

1980 North Park

1985 North Park

1987 North Park

1997 Illinios Wesleyan

(IWU left NAIA and joined NCAA Division III at the start of the 1983-84 season.)

Illinois Wesleyan has had 16 Fred Young Most Outstanding Player winners since the award began in 1968...

1970 Tom Gramkow

1975 Jack Sikma

1976 Jack Sikma

1977 Jack Sikma

1982 Greg Yess

1984 Blaise Bugajski

1989 Jeff Kuehl

1991 David Caldwell

1994 John Lipic

1995 Chris Simich

1997 Bryan Crabtree

1998 Brent Niebrugge

1999 Korey Coon

2000 Korey Coon

2004 Keelan Amelianovich

2005 Adam Dauksas

Defensive/offensive efficiency

One of the best metrics used to measure "defensive efficiency" is opponents points per possession (OPPP). Per APBRmetrics, possessions are calculated as:

Possessions = .96*(FGA- Off Reb + TO + (.475 * FTA))

Here is how the CCIW stacks up through game of 1/2:

Opponents' Points Per Possession:

Wheaton = 0.90 (752 opp. poss. > 676 opp. pts) - 11 games
Millikin = 0.94 (641 opp. poss. > 602 opp. pts) - 9 games
Augustana = 0.96 (713 opp. poss. > 683 opp. pts) - 11 games
Elmhurst = 0.98 (612 opp. poss. > 598 opp. pts) - 9 games
North Park = 1.01 (686 opp. poss. > 694 opp. pts) - 10 games
Carthage = 1.05 (663 opp. poss. > 693 opp. pts) - 10 games
North Central = 1.11 (708 opp. poss. > 786 opp. pts) - 11 games
Illinois Wesleyan = 1.13 (744 opp. poss. > 844 opp. pts) - 11 games)


This isn't a perfect metric at this point due to the differences in strength of schedules across the league, but it certainly illustrates the achilles heal of the 2007-08 Titans through the non-conference. To earn a 4th place finish, and a spot in the conference tournament, the Titans will have to improve defensively in league play.

On the offensive side, we can also measure points per possession. Taking a look at the league...

Points Per Possession:

North Central = 1.18 (716 poss. > 848 pts) - 11 games
Elmhurst = 1.14 (615 poss. > 701 pts) - 9 games
North Park = 1.11 (687 poss. > 760 pts) - 10 games
Illinois Wesleyan = 1.10 (749 poss. > 823 pts) - 11 games
Augustana = 1.08 (723 poss. > 780 pts) - 11 games
Millikin = 1.08 (638 poss. > 686 pts) - 9 games
Wheaton = 1.06 (737 poss. > 781 pts) - 11 games
Carthage = 1.05 (665 poss. > 696 pts) - 10 games


The Titans look a lot better on the offensive side, and my guess is that the team's best offense is yet to come this year. As the young perimeter players continue to settle in, I think the Titans will keep getting better in this metric.

So nothing we didn't already know, but it helps to see it in black and white. This IWU team has been good offensively overall but has struggled to stop opponents consistently. We'll see what happens in CCIW play.

PS Here are the numbers for #1-ranked Rochester (9-0), just for perspective:

Opponents = 0.89 (565 opp. poss. > 501 opp. pts)
Rochester = 1.15 (566 poss. > 650 pts)

IWU 70 CMS 61

A really hard-fought win by the Titans in the California trip finale. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is not a Top 25-caliber team like Occidental, but they are a very physical, rugged team that plays great defense and really rebounds well. It was nice to see the Titans respond in that type of game...especially considering they were down 5 under 10:00.

Down 48-43 with 9:15 to play, the Titans responded with one of their best stretches of the season - a 19-3 run in just over a 4 1/2 minute span to take control of the game, 62-41 with 4:39 to play. IWU's points in that key run were by:

* Travis Rosenkranz - 8
* Sean Dwyer - 6
* Matt Schick - 3
* Darius Gant -2

So 17 of the 19 points in that run from guys who didn't play for the Titans last year - freshmen Rosenkranz and Schick and sophomore Dwyer (foot injury in 2006-07). Pretty impressive.

It was great to see Travis look so confident on the floor. With 6:26 to play he pulled up off the dribble and hit a huge 3 to put the Titans up 54-48...that's when I knew that he was really feeling good out there.

Matt Schick had a terrific 2nd half, scoring all 10 of his points. Matt is a very heady player that just does a lot of things well. I think we'll see Matt play a key role for the Titans during the CCIW season.

And it is great to have Sean Dwyer back. Sean brings toughness and leadership to the floor, in addition to ball-handling the perimeter defense. I expect him to keep getting better as he settles in.

Again, not a win over a national powerhouse, but a lot of good things happened down the stretch of the CMS game.

It's CCIW time.