Just the Beginning...

Last night the Leatherneck basketball season officially came to an end with a tough 80-59 loss to Oregon State in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).  This was the first appearance in the postseason for the men's team since becoming a division 1 program.  WIU did not have much going their way to start off that game.  They were down three players (one man quit, the other two were suspended).  One of those guys was an everyday starter, Tommie Tyler, who had a monster game against SDSU last week.  Then throw in the fact that Terell Parks got in foul trouble and it was going to be very tough for them to win last night.  Even with all that diversity, these guys went out and played their hearts out.  They should walk with their heads held high.

Despite the disappointment this season ended with, this team has come so far in the past year.  Last season they won just seven games and were barley even a blip on the radar in this conference.  Fast forward a year and they were just two points from shocking the nation and going to their first ever NCAA Tournament.  That loss in the Summit League Championship game was heartbreaking even for me, there's no doubting it.  I've been through tough losses like that and I know how much it hurts.  The simple fact that they were there means so much.  Just thinking about the journey they went through to get to that stage gives me chills.  That win over Oral Roberts in the semi-finals was amazing, and I know it's something I won't soon forget.

The way that 2011-2012 ended will be tough to take, but the run they made to get to this point is just the beginning.  The appearance in the CBI was great, but it's just the beginning.  The truly great moments for this team are yet to come, you can quote me on that.  When people look back at when it all got started for Western Illinois basketball, they'll point to this season and say, "That's the season.  That's when it all began and those are the guys who turned this program around."  These guys have come so far and have so much to be proud of and one day they'll look back at these days and smile, because they'll realize that what they did was truly special.

I will NEVER forget the journey I went on with this team.  It fills me with so much pride to have been associated with them and followed them this season.  I knew that they could make some noise this year, but even with all my optimism, I could not have predicted what they would accomplish this year.  This has truly been one of the greatest experiences of my life and the memories I built with these Leathernecks will stay with me for the rest of my life.  I knew I would care about this team but I did not ever realize that by the end of the season I would end up calling them arguably my favorite team (I don't think I'll ever be able to really pick any team over Da Bears!).  I have always been a proud Leatherneck, but this team has brought me a new definition of pride. 

To all the players and coaches of this team, from the bottom of this Leathernecks heart, thank you SO much for allowing me to be a part of this season.  It has been something I will not ever forget.

To any students reading this that did not attend home games this year, PLEASE make it an effort to pack Western Hall next season and give this team the home court advantage that they have earned and deserve.  I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

I'll end this blog with one of my absolute favorite things to say, something I believe with all my heart, and something Leathernecks all over should also believe if they don't already, because it's really not a matter of winning or losing.  No matter what, everyday I wake up and think to myself...it's always a great day to be a LEATHERNECK!    

Game Preview: SDSU

The guys after shocking the nation last night.

After sending the #1 team in the conference packing last night, the Leathernecks have a chance to do something tonight that has never been done in the history of WIU...make the NCAA Tournament.  The team that stands in their way is the #2 seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits who won easily over Southern Utah in their semi-final last night 63-47.

Before I get any farther preview tonight's HUGE game, some thoughts on last nights monumental win...

I don't know if I've ever been happier seeing a team win a game than I was last night.  Especially after we had played ORU so tough in the regular season.  WIU took the lead on a Terell Parks fade away jumper with 26 seconds left and then came up with two unbelievable defensive stops to win the game.  Those last 26 seconds seemed like they took forever.  This team was down 8 points with under 7 minutes to play but simply did not give up.  They kept chipping away, kept getting the stops, and eventually came out with the upset of the year in the conference.  That win meant so much to everyone involved with this team, but now they have a chance to finish.  To truly shock the world and make it to the NCAA Tourney for the first time ever.

Now for a look in to tonight's Summit League Championship game...

SDSU swept the Leathernecks during the regular season, beating them by one in Western Hall by the score 67-66 and then handing them a 74-57 loss on the road in Brookings, SD just a couple weeks ago.  Although the second score looks a little lopsided, WIU did some good things in that game.  The difference ended up being the fact that SDSU shot 9 of 15 from behind the arc. 

In order to win this game, WIU will need to do a much better job defending the three than they did the last time they played SDSU.  Also, they will of course need to hold down first team all-conference selection, and arguably the best player in the Summit League, Nate Wolters.  Wolters had a big game last night putting up 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.  He fills out the stat line really well in every game and does a great job setting up the rest of his team with good shots.  Another guy to look out for in Jordan Dykstra who killed WIU in the last game when he made 5 of 5 three pointers and scored 23 points.  Hopefully they will do a better job closing out on him in this game and making sure he does not get as many open looks.

As if last night's win didn't mean a lot to this program, I cannot think of an adjective good enough to describe how much a win tonight would mean to everyone.  Tonight could very well be the biggest night in our basketball programs history.  My man Kyle Schassburger (radio play-by-play guy the last two years for this team and good friend of mine) put it very well earlier today:  "Tonight is for all the doubters, all the haters, and best of all, all the loyal Leathernecks stakeholders that have lived and died by the Western Illinois name."

A quick Tournament note:  our Women's team did fall last night to UMKC who is currently playing SDSU for a trip to the Women's NCAA Tournament.  Despite the loss, our Women exceeded all expectations this year and stunned everyone with their opening round win against Oral Roberts.  Congrats to them for a good finish to the season and I can't wait to see what head coach JD Gravina has in store for the future of the program.

That's gonna do it for now.  Tip-off is set for 8pm tonight and will be aired on ESPN2, so tune in and watch as we try to win the Summit League Tournament Chamionship!  As always...GO LEATHERNECKS!!!

Game Preview: ORU

CC3 about to hit the biggest shot of his career.

After last night's thrilling 58-53 win over NDSU, the Leathernecks have now moved on to the semi-finals where they will face off tonight against none other than Oral Roberts.  The winner will play the winner of SDSU vs Southern Utah tomorrow for the championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  It almost feels like destiny that we are playing this team again.

Before I get in to talking about tonight's rematch against the Golden Eagles, here is a link to the shot I referenced above...

http://i44.tinypic.com/14r3ie.gif

Ceola hit that shot with about 38 seconds left.  It put us up 53-51 and then he hit the free throw (he was obviously fouled) to complete the four point play.  WIU never trailed after that, and like I said above that was the biggest shot of his career.  Ceola had 13 points in the game, 7 of them came in the last 1:15 of the game.  Talk about stepping it up with the game on the line.

Now for tonight's game.  I'm not going to talk about the rankings like I normally do, because everything is pretty much the same, but I am going to talk about my thoughts on the game in general...

This is the biggest game for WIU in a very long time and it comes against the team that has been #1 in the conference all season.  The team that Western has played tougher than any other squad in the Summit:  Oral Roberts.  ORU tore through the conference this year as they only lost one game in Summit League play.  The first time these two teams played, ORU barley pulled off a 71-70 double OT win at Western Hall.  In the second game down in Tulsa, they came away with a 61-51 win, and it was really closer than that.

In order to win tonight, WIU will need to contain Dominique Morrison.  Morrison struggled in their first round game against IPFW, so you know he is going to come out looking for a big rebound.  Western will also need to watch out for the rest of the Golden Eagles as well though because they proved on Saturday that they can win without Morrison.  Plus, WIU will need to get Parks going again.  He has recorded three straight double-doubles.  It would also be big to get Emegano going again.  He struggled a bit the last time we played ORU, but I feel like he was trying to force it a little bit too much as he was playing in his home state and in front of friends and family for the first time since high school.  Hopefully he'll be calm like he was last night.

I really cannot express enough how much a win tonight would mean to this school, this team, and to everyone involved in this season.  Especially after everything that these guys have been through in the past year and being picked to finish 9th in the conference (which would have meant not even being in the tournament).  I am SO excited for tonight, I really can't hardly wait.  The atmosphere is going to be nothing short of ELECTRIC especially because all the SDSU fans will be in the arena rooting for us.  It's going to be so awesome. 

Before I wrap it up, here's a couple other tournament notes:  our Women's team plays in a couple hours against UMKC in their semi-final game.  I know they split with UMKC in the regular season, so they should have some confidence going in to this game.  Obviously I wish them the best of luck.  Who would have guessed that both the Men's and Women's teams would still be playing right now?

On the Men's side of the tourney, Oakland was STUNNED by Southern Utah last night in the 3 vs 6 seed game.  OU was up 81-70 with about 2:30 left to play and ended up losing 84-82...it was insane.  Plus Reggie Hamilton went just 1 of 4 at the free throw line when he could have all but put the game out of reach.  He finished with 31 points, exactly the amount I predicted he would finish with...no big deal.  Souther Utah plays SDSU tonight after our game.

That'll do it for now, tip-off is set for 6pm against tonight.  As always...GO LEATHERNECKS!!!

Game Preview: NDSU

The Summit League Tournament is underway!  The Leathernecks will once again face off against NDSU, but this time it's win or go home.  The Bison have not seen action since WIU beat them 77-64 last Saturday and meanwhile WIU played this past Wednesday and beat down UNO 72-51 to finish off their best regular season in over a decade.

It's been a lot of fun up here so far, Souix Falls is not half bad a town, but I'll right more about our adventures later on.  Right now, it's time to preview tonight's game...

WIU has now won two straight and comes in to the tourney as the number four seed.  They still maintain the best defense in the conference and are now 23rd in the nation for defense.  They are also number two in severak catagories including field goal percent defense, turnover margin, and assist to turnover ratio.  However, they have the worst free throw percentage in the conference at 68%, although they have definitely improved their shooting at the line in the past few game.  They will need to continue improving if they want to make a NCAA Tournament run (WIU has never been to the NCAA's).

As for some individuals, Ceola Clark finished off a great regular season leading the Summit League in assist to turnover ratio and is also 7th in the nation.  He is 3rd in the conference in assist and his three point shooting is still lights out at 46%, good enough to be 7th in the nation.  Clark was also named the Summit League's Defensive Player of the Year, making him the only player in conference history to win the award twice (he also won it in the '09-'10 season).  Besides that he was also named second team all conference.  Terell Parks leads the conference in rebounding and was named to the the All-Newcomer team for the Summit League along with Obi Emegano.

As for the Bison they are the number five seed for the tournament and shoot the ball better than any other team in the conference and are also 6th in the nation in field goal percentage.  They also lead the conference in field goal percent defense and blocks per game.  They are 3rd in the conference in scoring offense.  Even their loss to us last week they managed to shoot the ball pretty well, 47%.  So we will need to make sure and keep the pressure on them.

Looking at their individuals, they have a first team all conference player by the name on Taylor Braun 10th in thwe conference in field goal percentage and 55th in the nation.  He is also 6th in the Summit League in rebounding.  They also boast a pretty good three point shooter, Mike Felt.  He made some tough three's against us in the last game so our guys need to make sure and be right in his face in the perimeter.

This is going to be the third time we play NDSU this year and we swept the season series against them.  However, it's tournament time and the regular season can be throw out the window.  It doesn't matter anymore what you did in the regular season because only one team is going to represent the Summit League in the NCAA Tournament.

A couple tourney note so far:  our Women's team proved just how much the regular season means at this point as they upset the #2 seeded Oral Roberts Women's team yesterday to move on to the semi-finals.  They played a great game and actually never trailed.  They built a 22 point half time lead and never lead by less than seven in the second.  Big congrats to the girls on that win and they'll play the winner of UMKC vs Oakland tomorrow.

On the Men's side, Oral Roberts barley pulled out a win in their first tournament game last night as IPFW really showed up to play and almost came away with the huge upset.  South Dakota State (the #2 seed) also won their first game.  The winner of our game tonight will play ORU and the winner of Oakland vs Southern Utah will play SDSU.

That'll do it for now, tip-off is at 6pm tonight and as always...GO LEATHERNECKS!!!

Game Preview: NDSU

Tonight is a huge game for the Leathernecks.  We are in Fargo, ND and will be taking on the North Dakota State Bison.  The Bison are currently 17-11 overall, 9-8 in the Summit and are alone in 4th place in the conference.  WIU is 14-13, 8-9 in the conference and are alone in 6th place.  Tonight is the last conference game for all the teams in the Summit, so after these games we'll know who will be what seed in the tournament. 

A few scenarios for WIU:  a win coupled with a Southern Utah loss would give us the 4th seed.  A win with a Southern Utah win would give us the 5th seed.  If we lose and IUPUI loses, we get the 6th seed.  FInally, a loss with a IUPUI win would give us the 7th seed.

An interesting note, the battle for the 8th and final seed in the tournament has come down to a head to head match of IPFW versus UMKC in Kansas City tonight.  The winner will punch their ticket to Sioux Falls, the site for the Tournament.

Western, of course, still has the best D in the Summit and are now allowing 60 points per game.  That puts them at 32nd in the nation.  They are also 2nd in the conference in field goal percent D, three point percentage (they are also 32nd in the nation here), turnover margin, assist to turnover ratio, and turnovers per game (they are 21st in the nation in this stat).  They drastically improved their free throw shooting in the loss to SDSU on Thursday.  They went 10-12 at the line for a total of 83%.  This is the first time in quite some time that they had shot more than 60% on their free throws so hopefully that will continue.

Ceola Clark is back to leading the conference in assist to turnover ratio and is also 8th in the nation.  His three point percentage dropped just a bit after the last game where he went 1-6 but it is still impressive.  He is shooting 46% and is also 6th in the nation.  Terell Parks still leads the Summit in all rebounding categories and also continues to be 2nd in field goal percentage.

As for NDSU, they enter tonight's game shooting 49% as a team, which leads the conference and puts them at 7th in the nation.  They also lead the Summit in field goal percent D and blocks per game.  They know how to score some points as well, they are the third highest scoring team in the conference and average 74 points per game.  However, they did struggle a bit in their loss to IUPUI the other night when they shot just 39% from the field and 22% on 4 of 14 shooting from three.

The Bison boast the man with the highest shooting percentage in the league, Marshall Bjorkland.  He is shooting a red hot 67% from the field this year, but like WIU's Terell Parks is ineligible to be ranked nationally.  They also have Lawrence Alexander who had a good game the other night when he scored 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting.  He also made 3 of his 5 three pointers.  Stopping both of these players will be key.

WIU played very well against NDSU when they played earlier this year.  They really shut down Bjorkland who had only six points and only took four shots.  If they can contain him again tonight, that would be huge.  Something else for Western is to get Ceola Clark going.  He really did not play that well the other night, which happens, but hopefully he can step up tonight.  WIU can still get a decent seed if they lose, but coming out and winning this game would be the best thing to do because you never want to have to rely on other teams losing when you can lock things up yourself. 

I know I've been behind on posting pictures, but hopefully I'll get those up ASAP.  With school and traveling it's been a little tough to keep up.  I'll check out for now, as always...GO LEATHERNECKS!!!

Game Preview: SDSU

Tonight we are in Brookings, SD where the Leathernecks will take on the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State.  Coming in, SDSU is 22-7 and 13-3 in Summit League play.  WIU is 14-12 and 8-8 in the Summit.  These two faced each other early in Summit League play and it was a good one.  However, SDSU did come away with the win 67-66.  There was a controversial end to the game though.  With not a whole lot of a time left in the game, Nate Wolters of SDSU made a shot at the end of the shot clock the was obviously a shot clock violation.  The officials did not call it and in the end, the shot was the difference.  Besides the loss, WIU played pretty well in that game.

What is at stake tonight?  With a win (or an IUPUI loss) WIU will lock up at least a six seed in the Summit League Tournament.  They could also lock up at least a five seed if Southern Utah loses and we win.  As for the Jackrabbits, they have already locked up the second seed in the tournament.

WIU is still home to the nest defense in the conference and have moved in to 23rd place in the nation for scoring defense.  They are also the best three point shooting team as they are maing 38.9% of their three pointers.  For the first time in a while, they do not have the best assist to turnover ratio and are now second to SDSU.  This is likely the result of our 23 turnovers (our season high) versus Evansville last week.  The big struggle for Western in the past several games has been free throw shooting.  They are now last in the Summit in free throw percentage at 67.8%.  This area NEEDS to improve.

Ceola Clark has continued his stellar season.  He is third in the Summit in three point percentage at 47% and also 6th in the nation.  Despite his 5 turnovers versus Evansville, he still has a great turnover ratio at +2.1, good enough to put him in a tie for 1st in the conference.  Terell Parks still leads the conference in rebounds and blocks per game.  He is also 51st in the nation in rebounding.  Parks is still 2nd in the conference in field goal percentage at 61% but is still ineligible to be ranked nationally.

Looking at SDSU, they are the second highest scoring team in the conference as they average 79 points per game.  That also puts them at 13th in the nation.  They are just behind Western in three point percentage at 38.8% this season and have taken over the number one spot for turnover ratio at +2.6.  They have been better than WIU with their free throws this year but are still just 6th in the conference at 72%.

The big man to look out for in this one is Nate Wolters.  We defended him well in the first game, but he still made some big shots.  He is the only player in the conference that I believe may actually be a more complete player that Ceola Clark.  It would not surprise me at all if he is the Summit's Player of the Year.  He's the 2nd leading scorer in the conference, and 6th in the nation at 22 points per game.  

Game Preview: Evansville

Tonight the Leathernecks have traveled to take on the Purple Aces of the University of Evansville as part of the SEARS Bracket Buster series.  For those who do not know, Bracket Busters basically matches up mid-major teams with similar RPI's and has them play each other at this point in the season.  It's a really cool thing and gets a lot of national coverage.  This year our whole conference is participating and Oral Roberts was actually on ESPN2 earlier today. 

WIU comes in to the game with a 14-11 record and are 8-8 in the Summit League.  Evansville is 13-13 and they are 8-8 in their conference (they play in the Missouri Valley Conference).  Both teams are fighting for position in their respective conferences and trying to improve their seeding.  WIU sits at 5th in the Summit and Evansville is currently tied for 4th with three other teams in the MVC.

Western is fresh off a big win against UMKC on Wednesday 47-42, a game that they had to fight in but were able to do enough down the stretch to get the W and clinch a spot in the Summit League Tournament.  Another win in the conference play, or a loss by IUPUI will guarantee them at least a six seed.  Evansville is coming off thrilling win against Northern Iowa 63-62, and not too long ago they beat Creighton (currently 2nd in the MVC) 65-57.  So these teams have pretty similar resumes.

I won't bother going through some of the current Summit League rankings because this is a non-conference game, but I will look at the national rankings.  WIU has the 25th best defense in the nation and are letting up just 59 points per games.  They are also 25 in three point percentage and are making 38% of their three's.  They are continuing to take GREAT care of the ball and are only turning it over 10 times a game, good enough to put them at 16th in the nation.  They're turnover margin and personal fouls per game also are pretty good.  They rank 34th and 19th in those two categories.  However, free throws continue to be a problem.  In the last four games, they are shooting just 56% at the free throw line.  That is nothing short of awful.  That NEEDS to improve.

As for individuals, Ceola Clark had continued his big year and is now 4th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.  That is a very impressive feat.  He is also 5th in three point shooting this year and is making 47% of his three's.  Terell Parks is 54th in rebounding at 8.8 per game.  Unfortunately, he is still just short of being eligible to be ranked nationally in field goal percentage, or he would be in the top ten.

For Evansville, they also take pretty good care of the ball and are ahead of us at 9th in the nation.  Unlike Western, they have not had struggles at the free throw line and are one of the best teams of the nation at the line.  They are currently making 76% of their free throws which puts them at 10th in the nation.  They also score 72 points per game, good enough for 73rd in the nation.

They're best player is a man by the name Colt Ryan.  He is the 15th leading scorer in the nation at just over 20 points per game and is a very good free throw shooter.  He makes 86% of his free throws, which puts him at 30th in the nation.  They have two other guys who score in double figures, those guys are Kenneth Harris and Denver Holmes who both average 11 points per game. 

The big key in this game for WIU is to get back in a groove at the free throw line.  They have really been struggling there and it has cost them some games in the past couple weeks.  They also need to put the lock down on Colt Ryan.  I would expect Ceola, who did a PHENOMENAL job on Reggie Chamberlain against UMKC, to get the match up on him.  Evansville will likely have a good crowd so another key is going to be taking them out of the game early.  Tip-off in Evansville is set for 7:05pm...GO LEATHERNECKS!!!