A Tale of Two Road Trips

I've been more zeroed in on North Central lately, and not really focused as much on Chicago's two teams taking up residence on the West Side... though that's mostly because they haven't been home lately. It's just been kind of interesting to see how these two squads have spent their road trips going in seemingly opposite directions.

The Bulls have been mostly a joy to watch recently, as I'm sure Geoffy will attest to. You go 6-3 on a road trip, you're in good shape. The bad news is that the Bulls 3 losses came to good teams (Miami, Philly, and Boston). At the same time, you have to take into account that the Bulls have been, like pretty much everyone else, injury ravaged this season. And the scary part is that without some key figures, they're staying competitive with the other contenders in the East. You include Deng in the Miami game, the Bulls probably pull that one out, and with Rose, Boston is likely a win as well. Philly was a little more one-sided, but those losses will happen.

On the positive side, the Bulls are destroying inferior teams, including the NBA record 4 straight road wins by 20 or more. Racking up wins any way you can in this shortened season is a must, and at 23-7, the Bulls are in a great position... especially when you consider that 20 of those 30 games have come on the road. The second half of the season will be more in front of the friendly crowds at the United Center, something Bulls fans should be excited about.

Thank God Derrick Rose doesn't have any structural damage in his back, otherwise the Bulls would have a reason to worry. Until then, I would say let him rest. They're in good shape and don't need to rush him back in the immediate future.

I wish the news were the same for the other tenants of the Madhouse. It's been a rough go the past month or so. After dropping that home-and-home with Nashville into the All Star Break, the Hawks have been killed on this 9 game road trip of theirs, going 0-5-1 so far. And really, there's no one thing that the Hawks can do to get out of the funk. One night, the offense isn't scoring any goals, the next they're giving up 8 points to one guy. I've had the TV on for parts of a couple games on this trip, and I'll be into it a little bit, only to get really frustrated. This team has shown flashes of brilliance mixed with "WTF" moments. Many fans have called for Coach Q's head or Stan Bowman's head, but not a lot of attention has been paid to the players. They're the ones not executing right now.

That being said, all it takes is one good game for guys to get confidence up. Say tomorrow night in Nashville the Hawks only give up a couple goals in tough situations, but manage to score a time or 2 on timely opportunities and possibly steal one from a division rival. A win can cure everything, but even a tough loss where the team plays well can ignite a fire under the other guys.

I saw a status on Facebook from a guy I went to college with who's a hockey player and a big Hawks fan, and he reminded Hawks fans that this team lost 7 of 9 games in March of 2010... and we all know what happened that season. Granted, the rosters are totally different, but all you need to do is get into the tournament. Once there, anything can happen.

These two teams are going in different directions now, it seems. But both of these teams will play prominently when 30 competing teams get whittled down to 16.

Game Notes: Wheaton College @ North Central College (2/11/12)

Final Score
Wheaton 72, NCC 54

Summary
The Cardinals (6-17, 0-12) started out of the gate okay, leading 8-5 before Wheaton (16-7, 9-3)turned it on and went on a 20-0 run. The Cardinals tried to answer back, getting the deficit back to single digits before seeing Wheaton take a 38-24 lead into the break. Despite the score, the first half was pretty competitive. But in the second half the Thunder were able to step up their defense and slowly build the lead to over 20 points before calling off the dogs late.

Key Stats

• Wheaton: 8-15 3PT in the 1st half. I would dare to make the argument that the Cardinals outplayed the Thunder in the first half. They seemed to hustle more, make some good plays on defense, and hit a few big shots here and there. They might have led, if not only trailed by a few points were it not for the fact that Wheaton was unconscious from deep. They only went 2-5 from beyond the arc in the second half, but when your opponent is hitting everything from downtown, it's hard to stay in the ballgame. Credit Wheaton for hitting the shots all night, especially when given the open looks.
• Sophie Newson (NCC): 5-15 FG (2-6 3PT), 4-4 FT, 16 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl. Sophie looked more like that all-around player I know she can be tonight, especially in the first half. At the break she was 4 of 7 from the field with 9 points and 5 boards. Simple math tells you that her shots stopped falling in the second half. It's been a constant problem all year with the Cardinals, but even despite that Sophie played a great game tonight.
• Breanna Bohlen (WC): 7-10 FG (4-4 3PT), 0-1 FT, 18 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast. The prime example of why NCC lost. Donning the Rip Hamilton mask, she was left open a few times on the perimeter and took advantage. Other times the Cardinals did get over to close, but she just kept hitting shots off the bench. You need your role players to come in and execute their jobs. Bohlen did just that tonight.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I had the offer of traveling with the team to Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday to call the game for WONC since there really weren't any people available to call the game. I didn't take it, and instead Geoffy decided to make the trek down there and enjoy the sack lunch on the ride home. What I'm sure he didn't enjoy was the fact that the Cardinals turned it over 34 times in their 40 point loss to the Titans. Considering that, plus the Wheaton factor, we at the table set the over/under for turnovers at 21.5. I took the under, fearing I'd be wrong. But true to their average, they only committed 20 turnovers tonight, a lot of them bad passes, plus a couple offensive fouls. To their credit, they did force 15 Thunder turnovers, including a couple offensive fouls and a pair of 5 second calls.

Final Thoughts
This Cardinal team is better than their 6-17 record. I know from the flashes I've seen. But what I also notice is that this team has 2 major flaws. First and foremost is where they tend to shoot themselves in the foot (tonight, going about 7 minutes without a basket while Wheaton scored 20 points in that same stretch) by either cold shooting nights, poor shot selection, or most commonly, giving the ball up in bunches. The second problem is that this is a first half team. They stay in the ball game in the first half (even tonight, you felt like they could come back in the 2nd half) only to completely fall apart after the intermission. I don't know if they don't have the energy to play the full 40 minutes, lose their focus and drive after halftime, or what the case is, but for whatever reason, this team doesn't come out of the locker room ready to climb out of the hole.

With all this being said, this team has talented players. With a good offseason, some recruiting help, and a year of experience for the young contributors (think Bobbi Johns, Lauren Hernandez, Callie Rezin, Larynn Shumaker), this team will be a little bit better next year.

Next week is the final week of the regular season. Tuesday (men) and Wednesday (women), the Cardinals make the trek to what Geoffy calls North Park Middle School (relying on his word for this, I've never been there) before Senior Day a week from today against Millikin.

Game Notes: (MBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/4/12)

Final Score
NCC 43, (15)Augustana 41

Summary
This game had the feel of an old-time basketball game in front of a packed house.. We spent the first 5 and a half minutes locked in a 0-0 tie before Augie (16-5, 6-4) opened the scoring. The teams started to pick up from there as the offenses got in rhythm, but Augie led most of the half, going up 22-17 at the break. The Cardinals (15-6, 9-1) made their adjustments to get back to a one possession game for almost the entire 2nd half. It was tied at 38 with 4:41 left before Augie got a three to take the lead with 4:23 left. They would not score again as the Cardinals closed them out on defense.

Key Stats

• Teams combined: 28-92 FG (30.4%), 41 turnovers. The Vikings shot worse (14-48) and turned it over 25 times, but this shows how physical and competitive a game this one was. Both teams played excellent defense and had some struggles on offense. The Cardinals nearly lost this one from the free throw line (9-15), but Augie missed its opportunities too (11-19).
• Aaron Tiknis (NCC): 6-11 FG (3-7 3PT), 4-5 FT, 19 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl. He was clearly the best player out there on a night where Landon Gamble couldn't buy a layup (0 pts) and Derek Raridon was held to 3 points (all FT's). The hybrid forward was everywhere trying to have an impact, and hit some huge shots for the Cardinals all game long.
• Brandon Kunz (AUG): 3-5 FG, 6-9 FT, 12 pts, 12 reb (4 off). Came off the bench and was an excellent presence for the Vikings with teammates getting in foul trouble. Something the Vikings can build on as they make their run at a CCIW crown.

Final Thoughts
I think this was probably the biggest game I've ever done public address for, but it was a somber night with the passing of Shaun Wild. But the turnout was great, and the fans were fantastic in helping give the Cardinals a home court advantage, something I try to do every game (since I was filling in for Jim Godo, the normal men's announcer). I got really into the game, even feeling headaches with a couple three calls. With about 3 minutes left, Clark Teuscher, the Sports Information Director, told me to "take it down from 11 to 10" because he "didn't want to lose me if the game went to overtime". I tried, and timeouts helped.

Anyway, this was the first sweep of Augie in what seems like forever, and the Cardinals are unbeaten at home this season (which could be a huge advantage if they top the conference standings). A tough team to beat with a great defense, and have multiple options to score with.

Bonus Feature
This was tough to do since I had to get it from my iPhone. I apologize for the shaking of the phone. I was really anxious/excited when doing this last night. I also threw off the team's order of running out; I think normally Jim does them in numerical order, I tried more of a Ray Clay style. I do like how Derek did a Jeff Hornacek-esque move by running out before his name was called. I respect his humility, and how he lets his game speak for itself. But anyway, yesterday's lineups:

Game Notes: (WBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (2/4/12)

Final Score
Augustana 67, NCC 55

Summary
This was a competitive game on an emotional night, where the Cardinals (6-15, 0-10) were in the game throughout, but the Vikings (10-11, 2-8) were able to break a 6-6 tie with a 13-2 run. The Cardinals closed the gap to 6 at halftime. Once again they play well enough to be in the game early, but then things fell apart a little bit in the second half. The Cardinals never got any closer than about 6 or 7 the rest of the way, bowing out to an Augie team that got hot near the end.

Key Stats

• NCC: 18-62 FG (29%), 5-21 3PT (23.8%), 14-26 FT (53.8%). Ouch. They've been running the offense a little better of late, but the shots just aren't falling. There were some ill-advised threes taken, and more missed layups again last night. But the free throws have not really been good for most of the season. You're not going to win many games shooting 29 percent overall.
• Emily Collins (NCC): 4-13 FG (0-1 3PT), 2-7 FT, 10 pts, 14 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk. I was impressed by her effort last night and her ability to get to the basketball. I didn't realize her shooting night was that bad, but those nights happen. She needs to forget about that part of her game, while still building on her rebounding. I could have also gone with Helen Muleya, who had a good game (15 pts on 5-9 shooting, plus 4 of 7 at the line), but Collins' numbers down low were amazing. Two seniors who have talent, and will be missed.
• Molly Etheridge (AUG): 5-11 FG (3-6 3PT), 6-6 FT, 19 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast. She came off the bench and was immediately lethal from deep. She was a big part of that 13-2 run for Augie. Though honestly, I didn't realize she was that aggressive on the glass. A big reason why Augie got their second conference win of the year (both of which have come against NCC).

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I need to start having more faith in this team. They had a season low 10 turnovers last night, with no player committing more than 2. A phenomenal job taking care of the basketball. Another big key to why NCC lost was that Augie took good care of the ball too, only giving it up 12 times. A much more mistake-free game than I'm used to seeing.

Final Thoughts
I feel bad criticizing this team of late, because they go all-out, and they do have a good team. They're unfortunately not much of a match for the Wesleyan's and Carthage's of the world, but against the lower tier of the conference, they're a competitive team. Unfortunately, they have a tendency of shooting themselves in the foot with either turnovers or off shooting nights. This has been a fun year of basketball to watch nonetheless, and I'm honored to have worked 10 games for this team with 2 more to work. They travel to Bloomington on Wednesday before coming back to face Wheaton on Saturday.

Remembering Family

Throughout my forty-some posts on Confessions of a Sportscaster, I had never imagined I'd have to do a post like this. Not in a million years.

If you've seen my Facebook and Twitter you've seen posts about this, but I wanted to do something a little more official to recognize this tragedy.

Last night at a bar in downtown Naperville, there was a stabbing incident involving 3 people, including 2 NCC football players. Defensive lineman Willie Hayes is in serious condition as of this posting, and the attack claimed the life of Shaun Wild, former punter and second grade teacher at Spring Brook Elementary in Naperville.

I never personally met either of these great young men, but everyone who knew them speak very highly of them. And as a North Central alum, it's like losing a family member. NCC is one big family, and it's a family I love. I will celebrate their triumphs, and grieve with them in their times of darkness.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Willie, that he makes a full recovery, and to Shaun's family as they cope with the all-too-soon passing of a wonderful young man.

RIP Shaun

The Unofficial National Holiday

The biggest single day of sports is the first Sunday in February every year. For a weekend stretch of sports, nothing beats the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, but the Super Bowl in and of itself is the biggest game all year.

I've put off thoughts about the game to come until just about the last possible minute. If you go by my original prediction, I only got 3 of 11 winners right. On a week by week basis I did much better; I correctly picked 6 of the 10 games correctly. It only makes sense that I predict the Super Bowl.

I foresee this as an offensive battle of epic proportions between two elite quarterbacks. Tom Brady is finally back on the biggest stage where he has excelled throughout his career. He will be somewhat limited offensively with Gronkowski recovering from an ankle sprain, but he still has Welker and Hernandez. Meanwhile Eli Manning has vaulted himself into elite status (while not on the same plane as Brady, but still elite) by making his teammates better. He has excellent receivers in Nicks, Cruz, and Manningham.

The other reason this will be a shootout? The Giants defense is ranked 27th, the Patriots 31st. Personally, I hate those numbers as the main statistic when it comes to measuring defense, so based on scoring allowed, the Patriots were 15th (21.4 PPGA) and the Giants 25th (25 PPGA). Still not great, so it strengthens the argument that we're going to see a shootout.

The toughest part? Predicting the score. I scoured the archives of Facebook to try to find my prediction for Super Bowl XLIII, only to be shot down by lack of status updates from back that far. But I have friends who are witnesses to the fact that I correctly predicted Steelers 27, Cardinals 23 and who will gladly back me up in this claim if asked. (And I'm also pretty sure there's audio evidence from the WONC archives I could dig up too... but I digress.) I did it once, so there's no chance in hell that I'll ever correctly predict the score again. But that won't stop me from predicting.

It'll be a high scoring game, and turnovers/sacks will have an impact, but it also seems like whoever has the ball last will win the game. My official prediction is Giants 34, Patriots 28. I figure New England will score a lot and can come up with some big plays to hold the Giants to field goals, but Eli is deadly late in ball games. Then again, so is Brady, but this game just has a similar feel to Super Bowl XLII... you know, except this year it's the Patriots everyone is doubting, myself included.

Whatever your plans are for the big game, enjoy yourselves, have fun, and be safe. And start crafting proposals for Super Bowl Monday becoming a new national holiday. You know, because no one will want to do anything the day after the big game.

Game Notes: North Central College @ Elmhurst College (2/1/12)

Final Score
Elmhurst 63, NCC 60

Summary
Probably the most fun game I've been at all season (and my first road trip for basketball in a couple years), the Cardinals (6-14, 0-9) took early advantage of a Blue Jay (16-4, 7-2) team that was without Meghan Merklein due to injury. NCC went on an 11-1 run that put them up 21-14 with 8:26 to go before halftime. Elmhurst stormed back to within 32-28 at the half, then came out on fire. The Cardinals answered back, and led 51-49 with 8:23 left in the game. But the Blue Jays started to get inside and get some easy baskets, and the Cardinals couldn't execute down the stretch to steal a road win.


Key Stats

• NCC: 23-64 FG (35.9%) , 4-16 3PT (25%), 10-16 FT (62.5%). The Cardinals had their opportunities at the line and couldn't always convert, part of a not-so-great shooting night overall. The worst part was down low; a run through the play-by-play shows they went 12-26 on layups. It seems to happen a lot, but this is the first time I've documented it. Some of them were unfortunate rolls, others were bad attempts or bad looks. Whatever the case, give the Cardinals even half of those missed layups and it swings the game to an 11 point victory. Alas.
• Helen Muleya (NCC): 4-7 FG, 1-4 FT, 9 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl. Even though the starting point guard had a game without an assist, she played very well tonight. Made a couple bad decisions here and there, but forced some key turnovers with her great defense, and did a good job with her shot selection and execution overall tonight.
• Tess Godhardt (EC): 5-8 FG, 3-4 FT, 13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl. 11 of her 13 points came in the 2nd half, most of them down low. 3 of her rebounds came on the offensive glass, again, all in the 2nd half. She brought her A-game tonight and helped propel Elmhurst to victory.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I didn't make any bets with anyone tonight on the number of turnovers, but the Cardinals did a better job taking care of the ball, only turning it over 17 times. Jenny Swanson, Emily Collins, and Helen Muleya all turned it over 3 times apiece (to Muleya's credit, hers all came in the 1st half). A better job, especially when they forced 15 Blue Jay turnovers (10 off steals). I normally talk about the Clogged Toilet Offense, but they moved the ball well for the most part today, other than some errant passes throughout the game.

Final Thoughts
I never want to blame the referees for what happens in a basketball game, but the officiating was spotty at best tonight. They let things go in the first half, only to tighten it up after the break, getting the Cardinals in early foul trouble, but it also seemed like the Blue Jays were getting away with near murder down low.

That being said, the Cardinals didn't execute down the stretch. On their final possession, down 5 with 18 ticks left, the Cardinals ran down the floor and just dribbled around the perimeter. I remembered another game they lost doing that on their final possession. They at least got a shot off at the end to cut the final margin from 5 to 3, but they need to be aware of the clock at all times.

Overall though, I think this was probably the best game that North Central has played in conference (at least from those I've seen). It's a tough loss to swallow, but there are some positives to take into Saturday's rematch with Augie at Merner. I will be back from being a casual fan to my work behind the mic, for their game as well as a highly anticipated rematch between the men's teams.